Vega Black and the Resurrection Stone
by Ouroboros Consortium
Summary: Ex-Slytherin, Auror Vega Black has been put on a strange case- an old theft from the Department of Mysteries. There are just a few problems: First, the thief was captured at the Battle of Hogwarts. Second, the items were stolen and destroyed after the Battle of Hogwarts. Third, a member of her Taskforce just found one.
1. Chapter 1: The Slytherin Who Fought

Hello! This story has been all written up. I'm going to post a chapter every Tuesday and that will hopefully give me enough time to write the next one.

I'd like to give a special thank you to my husband, John, and my editor, Hallie, for supporting me and letting me bounce ideas.

My editor is amazing and helped me so much! She's setting up an editing business and is making a website: coffeehouseediting . com

* * *

Chapter 1

**_The Slytherin Who Fought_**

Vega vaulted over the desk, landing on her side and sliding along the polished wood. She ducked behind a particularly ugly patterned, wingback chair right as the desk exploded in green light.

On the floor above she heard a startled shout followed by more crashing.

"How many of you blood traitors are there?" Her own attacker called out from farther in the room.

_More than you were expecting, I promise_, Vega thought, but didn't dignify his question with a verbal reply. Instead, she gripped her English Oak wand a little tighter and rolled out from cover. By the time the huge, blond Death Eater was in her sight, her wand was finished making the spell's movement. _Petrificus Totalus_.

He dove out of the way of her Full Body-Bind Jinx only to run face first into her follow-up spell: _Incendio_. The jet of flame gave her enough time to scramble to her feet and dash from the room into the connecting hallway.

She nearly ran into another woman who was rushing down the stairs from the floor above. The newcomer's good eye was lit from within with excitement.

"Roni." Vega greeted as they matched strides in their escape. "Excellent timing, as always."

The shorter woman flashed a smile, the spider's web of scarring on the left side of her face stretching. "Of course. Who do you take me for, an amateur?"

The hallway lead to the back door of the three-story decrepit house their quarry was hiding out in. Acting as one, Vega blew the door off its hinges while Roni spun and blocked a spell. Vega ran out, turning at the doorway and partially hiding behind the door frame to cover Roni's escape with her own spells.

The blond Death Eater was using the door at the other end of the hall as his cover, while his accomplice hid in the stairwell. The accomplice had predictable timing though so the next time he flung his arm out, it was in time for Roni's own _Incendio_. His screech of alarm was loud but the blond Death Eater paid him little attention. He threw spell after spell, a cruel, manic look on his face.

Vega took a breath and pulled up a happy memory.

_Bright blue eyes sparkled behind half-moon spectacles._

"_That was a very brave thing you did, Miss Black." Professor Dumbledore said quietly as she sat across from him in his office. The Grand Sorcerer's full attention was on her and she tried not to burst from pride at his praise. "Your generation never fails to amaze me. You all give me such…" The Headmaster paused as though afraid of the word. "Hope."_

"_Expecto Patronum_." Vega said clearly and out of her wand burst a shapeless cloud of mist, obscuring Roni and Vega from the Death Eaters' sight. Roni dashed out of the house and Vega put the door back in place with a quick Sticking Charm.

The two women retreated to the trees behind the crumpling house, passing old wood banks topped with spaghetti beeches and hornbeams. The woods themselves were eerily silent, a sharp contrast to the roar of rage behind them. The sound of wood bursting came shortly after. Roni grabbed Vega's arm to pull them both behind a thick beech tree.

"I think they're mad." Roni pushed a reddish-brown strand of hair out of her face.

"Almost like they found a couple of Aurors going through their things while they were away." Vega grinned back, heart racing with adrenaline.

"If they didn't want random Aurors going through their things, maybe they shouldn't have become Death Eaters." The brunette leaned against the beech next to her. "Look at your life, look at your choices." She called out to them, then, quieter, to Vega: "Think-"

The branch above Roni's head exploded, raining splinters.

Vega grabbed Roni's arm and pulled. "Let's go."

They bobbed and weaved through the trees, making sure there was a barrier between their pursuers and themselves as much as possible.

Mentally Vega calculated how far away from the house they were and how long it had been since they had left it before stopping behind another tree. She felt something soft brush her mind and Roni stopped a few trees away, the flush on her face making her blue eye brighter. "There's a new restaurant that just opened up near here."

"What kind?"

"'Med. I hear good things about their grape leaves."

"Ooo. You-"

"ENOUGH!" Someone roared behind them in the woods.

Light was their first clue, followed by the crackling of wood and the smell of smoke. Around the tree to Vega's left a snake of fire wound, then rose up to strike.

"Why is it ALWAYS SNAKES with you guys?" Roni screamed behind her as Vega leapt out of the way. It wasn't her best dodge and she felt the throb through her body when she landed wrong. She pushed it down and rolled to her feet in time to watch Roni's charm bounce off the snake.

"Fiendfyre is my guess." Vega tried to keep one eye on the snake and the other out for the Death Eaters.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!_"

It was only because she was looking for them that Vega was able to duck the green light aimed at her head by the shorter of the two Death Eaters.

"I just realized where I've seen you before!" Roni shouted with a half-grin, slinging a hex at Vega's attacker while running to get a tree between her and the Fiendfyre. The Fiendfyre itself was growing wings by devouring the wood around them. "You're that bloke who lost his duel with Professor Flitwick."

"The head of the Frog Choir. Ouch. That must sting-" Vega jumped away from another streak of green light, spotting the huge Death Eater at last. "_Partis Temporus_." She split the winged-serpent Fiendfyre in half so Roni could blast the Death Eaters behind it. The one they were mocking was hit square in the chest. His arms snapped to his sides, and he fell forward.

The huge one gave another howl of rage. The split Fiendfyre burst into thousands of shapes, all squirming and devouring- he must have lost control of it. The two halves became a wave that crashed down on either side of the Aurors before encircling them fully.

"_Partis Temporus_." Roni parted the Fyre before them only to have the path blocked by a new wave of it.

Vega almost leapt into the Fyre to avoid a death curse. As the circle became tighter, the huge Death Eater stopped casting, content that the Fyre would get them. The smoke was making it hard to breathe or see, the heat was making her sweat through her blazer and loosening her grip on her wand. She held her left arm to her nose, trying to breathe without choking and just ignored the tears streaming down her face. She didn't have the time to wipe them.

A single Fyre-creature had devoured enough of its own that the Fiendfyre reformed together into a huge dragon, rearing its head back to burn them.

Vega pulled Roni behind her, even knowing that if the creature breathed they'd both be cooked. There was simply nowhere else to go.

A blue vial sailed through the air right in front of the Fyre-dragon before being stuck by a spell. The vial burst, encasing the dragon's breath in ice before following it up to the dragon, down its body and into the rest of the Fiendfyre. Within seconds the Fiendfyre was transformed into an ice-like statue.

Letting out a breath, Vega felt herself sag a little in relief. Behind her, she heard Roni do the same before she tapped Vega on the shoulder.

"Lift." Roni pointed towards where the Death Eater was last seen. With the Fyre now solid, they couldn't see him at all. Vega planted her feet and Roni used Vega's shoulder to push herself higher to look.

"They've got this." Vega told her.

Roni nodded and came down. "Yep. And-" She signed heavily. "You were right that we couldn't fight in the house. Did you know about the Fiendfyre?"

"Carrow knew it. And Rowle is vicious enough to use it. Stupid enough to think he can control it." Vega pulled out a tissue to wipe her eyes with before handing the plastic package to Roni. "I knew there was a lot of nasty things he could use. Fiendfyre was on the list." She studied the rearing dragon in front of her. Within the ice-like encasing, the fire still shifted, giving the statue an almost hypnotic quality to it. "Think we can fit this somewhere in the backyard?"

"I'm pretty sure some of the lab boys and girls would want to take a look at it. No one has ever crystallized Fiendfyre before." A voice came from the other side of the wall.

"Did I pay for the components for this-" Vega gestured at the statue before kneeling down to give Roni a lift over the shortest part of its tail. "Transfiguration and potion combination? I feel like this is a new thing." She grunted, lifting up the shorter Auror.

Roni nimbly climbed up before reaching down for Vega's hand. Vega grabbed it and grimaced.

"What."

"Your hand is all sweaty."

"Forget you. I almost died to a Fiendfyre. Of course I'm sweaty. Do you want help or not?"

"Ugg. You can at least wipe it."

Roni withdrew her hand entirely. "You can just rot. I swear, I'll leave you."

"I can't disapparate because we did the Jinx, just in case they had enough sense to run."

"And whose bright idea was that?" Roni put her hands on her hips.

"Mine!" Vega declared emphatically.

"Rot." Roni spat, but she reached back down. She did not wipe her hand.

Vega rolled her eyes but took the hand, stopping herself from making a face through sheer iron will. As Roni hoisted her up, the earlier voice spoke again.

"If you two are done, yes, it is a combination of a Switching Spell and a Fire Protection potion." Once Vega was seated on the dragon's tail, she could see the speaker was poking the Death Eater Roni hit with the Full Body-Binding Jinx. She was hard to miss: tall, thin as a stick and with skin so pale she practically glowed in the moonlight. She had her bright blue hair tied back in a low ponytail that spilled over the shoulder of her black robes. Vega debated whether she should tell her to stop annoying the Death Eater or not.

"Elfie." The last member of their group admonished. Taller even than Elfie, she was putting the finishing touches on an Incarcerous spell.

Elfie pouted but stopped poking their captive when Liv called her name.

"I still haven't heard a good reason why I can't have this in our foyer." Vega waved her hand over the dragon.

"I would like to protest against any Fiendfyre in the house." Liv said with a grin. "All in favor of not having Fiendfyre in the foyer, say 'Aye'."

"Aye." All the women except Vega raised their hands.

"How unfortunate for you that the house isn't a democracy but a benevolent dictatorship." Vega slung her legs over the edge and jumped down. For a moment she wasn't sure if her legs would support her.

Roni's legs 'accidentally' hit Vega when she swung down after her. Vega gave her a dirty look which the shortest member ignored.

"'Benevolent Dictator'?" Liv raised an impressive, dark eyebrow.

Vega nodded sagely. "And this _very benevolent dictator_ has heard her people's words and will graciously allow Elfie to deliver this to the Department of Mysteries boys and girls _on loan_ until such time that they deem it safe to be put in my foyer… or backyard if it doesn't fit."

Liv rolled her eyes while Roni snorted.

"YAS." Elfie said before approaching the dragon to inspect it. "I'm going to need help transporting it."

"How many?"

"Of us? Just one. If I had to grab a Labbie, I'd need at least three in order not to break it."

Vega closed her eyes for a moment, thinking.

"Liv, would you assist Elfie after you both give your Mediterranean orders to Roni. Roni, retrieve food. I'll deliver the Death Eaters."

Liv raised her hand, frowning.

"I could help deliver the Death Eaters and then get food." Roni beat Liv to objecting.

Vega nodded. "I hoped you'd say that. Thank you. I'll make an initial report and then we'll all meet at home."

The others looked a little more comfortable with their assignments and Liv walked closer to Elfie to listen to her plan for getting the statue out of the woods.

"Rock, paper, scissors for the bigger one?" Roni pointed at the blond one but Vega shook her head.

"Reserve your strength. I can always take the Floo network home."

Roni scowled again before sighing and turned to the other two. "What do you want?"

"I'll text you." Elfie said, distracted. "Do you know the name of it?"

"Uhhh…"

"When you get there, text me the name. I wanna look at the menu." Elfie was still not looking at them, instead she was casting spells that went up and down the length of the dragon.

"Liv? How about you?"

"I think I'll go for something spicy today." Liv tilted her head in thought. "Could you ask them what's good and just get me some of that?"

"Sure." Roni shrugged before shuffling to the smaller Death Eater.

"Not even going to ask me, are you?" Vega performed the Levitating Charm on the big one as Roni did the same to hers.

"Nope. I already know what you want, you creature of habit." Roni threw over her shoulder before striding away.

Vega pursed her lips but said nothing, instead using her longer legs to catch up.

"I feel as though you're mad." Vega tilted her head at the shorter woman once they were out of earshot of their other friends. "I would like to know why."

Roni sighed again. "You did the whole 'it's not my idea, it's yours' thing again. Which I know I shouldn't be angry about because we," she gestured between the two of them, "know I don't like to be ordered." She paused. "This is better, really."

"Want me to just not let you know I was hoping you'd go one way?"

"No, that'll be worse. I'd just start second guessing all my decisions." She rubbed her temples, carefully keeping her wand up. "I'll just have to get over it or figure out a better plan."

Vega grimaced. They'd been working to find the best way Roni could be part of the team. She hated being ordered around, even if the orders made sense. Roni would never be trusted as an Auror on her own. Vega and the head of the Aurors had to fight to get her accepted. They all hoped this, her needing to be part of a team to be trusted as an Auror, was temporary but it had to work in the meantime.

"We'll figure it out." Vega patted Roni's shoulder as they came to the edge of the Anti-Disapparition Jinx.

With a nod to each other, they grabbed their prisoners and left the woods behind.


	2. Chapter 2: Prisoners and Paperwork

Chapter 2

_**Prisoners and Paperwork**_

Vega, Roni and their two captives appeared in the Ministry of Magic's Atrium, a large hall with fireplaces on each side of the long walls. Since it was so late, most of the fireplaces were out and the only source of illumination was from the torches hanging from the shiny dark wood panels lining the halls, reflecting against the gilded fireplaces and highly polished, dark wood floor. It gave the hall an eerie atmosphere.

Once she landed, Vega double checked the bindings on the Death Eaters, ignoring their looks of murderous rage. Seeing they were still stable, she nodded to Roni and then two made their way to the other side of the Atrium. Vega took the lead, knowing Roni would be her rearguard. The taller woman tried to keep her focus on her surroundings and not get distracted by the peacock ceiling with its golden symbols that twisted and turned across it. She was on edge with the late hour and unsettled by the overall quiet.

The place where the Fountain of Magical Brethren once stood was covered with a large tarp. Beside it was a sign that read "Please excuse our mess, we're replacing the statue." Above and encircling it were levitating pieces of scaffolding, waiting for someone to direct them with a word or gesture. The tarp had been there longer than Vega had been working at the Ministry: some wanted a statue much like the old one showcasing the strength of wizards, particularly after so many died in the Second Wizarding War. Others wanted a more inclusive statue because that war wouldn't have been won without considerable help from other magical peoples. The two were stuck in a deadlock and there had been jokes to just redo the sign to describe why the tarp was there. Vega personally preferred the inclusive option.

Soon enough they arrived at the golden gates at the other end. The Watchwizard, a young man with sandy blond hair and blue eyes, waved to them as they approached his security desk, book upheld in his hand, feet propped up on his desk. His bright eyes were watchful though, carefully scanning both of them. "Two?"

"Yes sir." Vega answered as she handed over the Death Eaters' wands. She was sure she'd seen him before, probably at Hogwarts.

"And you're taking them straight to the custody suites?" He sat up and grabbed the scanner from inside the desk before using it on the two prisoners. His eyes kept flickering up to Vega's face and back down to the golden rod. When he didn't find anything of note, he weighed the wands and impaled their receipt on a small brass spike.

"Yes sir." Vega said. She was pretty sure he was a younger classmen, probably of Slytherin House since he wasn't giving Roni a look over too.

"Alright, one moment." The young man reached into his desk again before pulling out a red prisoner badge. He attached it to both older men with a spell, then stepped back to admire his work with a grin.

"Jeremiah Cavendish." It was the grin that did it. He wasn't Slytherin, he was Hufflepuff, and he was a younger classmen. He must have just graduated from Watchwizard training.

"You remember me?" He grinned even wider. "That's-" He seemed to beside himself, a blush creeping up to his ears.

Vega wasn't about to tell him she only knew about his existence because some Slytherins had a crush on him. He did have a nice smile so she could see why.

"Do you need anything else?" She smiled back, hoping he didn't take her trying to leave the wrong way. It wouldn't do well to be on the bad side of a Watchwizard.

"Uh, yeah. You're good." He seemed a little more awkward now that he knew they remembered him.

"See you later." Vega waved as she and Roni entered the lift. Once inside the lift, Roni pressed the button for the ninth floor: Department of Mysteries.

"Don't." Vega didn't even have to look over to Roni to know she had a grin on her face.

There was a moment of silence only broken by the announcement of the floors.

"Ngg." Roni groaned.

"Hmm?" Vega asked.

"Mnn." Roni gestured to their reflections in the lift doors.

Vega's normally pale skin was covered in ash, her black blazer and black slacks were singed and spotted. Her white blouse was stained with sweat and soot and her eye makeup was severally smudged. At least her ponytail kept her hair from being burnt and her grey hair didn't show much of the ash. She rubbed the scar that started under one eye, ran across the bridge of her nose and ended under the other. It was a slightly darker shade than the rest of her skin but the ash made it pop.

Roni's pixie-cut saved her hair from being burned but there were definitely branch shards in it. Her casual black t-shirt had seen better days- there was a large hole in one of the shoulders and smaller holes from embers. The ash made her tan complexion sickly. The jeans she was wearing looked like they came out relatively unscathed though they were charred on the bottom.

"Ngg." Vega agreed before stepping out of the lift and into the hallway. They looked terrible.  
Beyond the lift doors was a thin corridor with bare walls. At the very end sat a plain black door and an opening to the left leading down a flight of steps.

Vega paused at the top of the steps, double-checking the bindings again. She saw Roni roll her eyes and reached out to lift the smaller woman's face. "Looks like you got some splinters from the tree. Liv should be able to fix it up."

Roni jerked her head back while patting her pockets.

"Be glad I'm so fastidious." Vega told her before handing over a compact mirror.

"Not the word I'd use, you peacock." Roni groused, flipping it open and tilting it up and down, left and right, centered on her forehead. "Yeah, that should start stinging soon, I imagine."

"Wash up a little before scaring the patrons of the Mediterranean restaurant." Vega took the compact back, using it to look at her makeup. Using magic to apply make-p was on the same level as painting a picture: it took way more finesse than Vega felt she had at the moment. Using magic to take off makeup was another matter. With a grimace, she flicked her wand at her eyes, clearing all of her makeup off before sliding the compact mirror into an inside pocket.

At the bottom of the steps was yet another corridor, lined with rough stone, bracketed torches, and heavy set-in doors with iron bolts and keyholes. With effort they pulled open the first door across from the stairs. Behind that were the custody suites for the Department of Law Enforcement- 2.5 by 3 meters wide, barred with heavy, enchanted iron on three sides. Ten lay on the left and eight more on the right. Close to the door was the custody office's desk. Anton Durham, an old sergeant, was on shift tonight and he smiled as they entered. Or Vega thought he may have. He had a mustache so bushy that the only indication of his mouth moving was that it shifted in his creased face.

"Black, Turner. Have a drop off, do ye?" He asked with a northern burr.

"Thorfinn Rowle and Antonin Dolohov, known Death Eaters." Vega gestured to the levitating, bound men.

Durham smiled so wide they could make out that he was missing teeth. "That must be the last of them, yeah?" He said as he got up with a ring of keys. He shuffled over to the closest cell, his gait hindered by the peg leg he earned during the First Wizarding War.

"We have a handful left." Roni answered him.

Vega couldn't since she was grinding her teeth. She counted to ten and methodically untensed herself, releasing her clenched hands and unlocking her jaw.

Her Auror Taskforce had caught a lot of Death Eaters, but not the one she was hunting, not the one who murdered her grandfather in cold blood a month before the Battle of Hogwarts and effectively made her an orphan.

One day she would find Her though. Every captured Death Eater brought her closer to her target. Eventually one of them would know and talk.

Durham opened the cell and hopped backwards to let Vega and Roni direct the Death Eaters in.

"Wanna slam the door? I find it very cathartic." He said, shrugging a shoulder at it.

Vega felt Roni glance at her, felt something soft brush her mind but this time instead of sharing her thoughts with Roni, Vega pushed her out. "Go for it." Vega told her verbally. She'd slam the door on Her, then personally escort Her to Azkaban and slam that door too.

Roni took the door from Durham and put her whole shoulder and hips into her swing, causing the cells to reverberate. She turned and beamed at Vega, proud at the force behind it. Roni would slam doors all day, everyday if Vega would let her. "Alright, I'm off," she said, throwing Durham a lazy salute and starting towards the door.

"I'll do the paperwork." Vega told Durham when he lifted an eyebrow at the retreating Roni.

"Hey."

Vega turned to the door. Roni was there, a sly grin on her face.

"What do you want?"

Vega huffed a laugh. "The usual."

-  
Floor two was equally as empty as the rest of the building. Vega noticed lights on in a couple of cubicles in the Auror Headquarters including a light in the Deputy's office, even when there wasn't one in the Chief's.

Vega took a deep breath and tried to quietly enter her 'cubicle' area while simultaneously trying not to look like she was sneaking. She glanced over to the lit office before it was blocked by a row of flimsy walls but the occupant didn't seem to notice her, instead his whole attention appeared to be on the document in front of him.

Her 'cubicle' consisted of two standard-sized desks pushed together, four giant filing cabinets and three chairs, two on one side and one on the other. The desks had quills and parchment neatly arranged for three people and a typewriter in the middle. The walls had posters of their favorite team, the Hollyhead Harpies, pictures of family members and one painting of a forest scene, complete with a soothing waterfall.

She sat at the lone chair and pulled the typewriter towards her. Elfie had suggested it after there were a couple complaints about the legibility of the group's reports. Dictating to a wand would be the easy fix but none of them felt comfortable with that, so the 'new' technology was a welcomed change, even if she did have to pay a pretty galleon for it herself.

Vega flicked her wand for a fresh sheet of parchment to be rolled in while the keys inked themselves. She rolled her shoulders and began her report with the capture of Humphrey Prentis, a fence for illegal magical creatures, particularly ones that were classified as XXXX, endangered. He had been apprehended by Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, MLEP, and revealed to them that he had seen Antonin Dolohov which prompted them to reach out to the Anti-Death Eater Taskforce, ADET, which Vega ran.  
She was detailing the plan of drawing Rowle and Dolohov from the house so the MLEP could secure it with the help of Liv and Elfie when someone's head popped up over the top of the cubicle divider. "Black!"

Vega jumped, looked up and felt her heart plummet. The man was tall with messy jet-black hair, almond-shaped green eyes, round-rimmed glasses and the beginnings of a beard. His most famous feature was the lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"Potter." Vega answered, more than a little alarmed. She knew that eventually she'd have to speak to the Deputy but thought she'd have back up, or at least look somewhat presentable. Covered in ash, no make-up, and smelling like smoke was not a good confidence booster.

Harry Potter's eyebrows rose, scrunching his scar. Vega replayed everything back in her head and realized her error.

"Sorry. Old habit. Didn't mean to-"

"Sound like Malfoy?" He suggested as she rose from her seat.

"I was about to say 'venomous' but somewhere along the way I started mocking him, so…" She trailed off, waving her hand while feeling incredibly awkward. Part of her wished this was one of those dreams in the same vein as taking her O.W.L.S. naked. "What can I help you with?"

Potter recovered quickly. "I'm glad you're still here, they found something at Dolohov's." He took a step away from her work space and jerked his head in the direction of his office.

"Yes sir." Vega pulled the parchment from the typewriter and put it in one of the file cabinets to lock with key and spell. Elfie nearly had a panic attack the first time she saw one of them leave papers laying around where anyone could find them.

Potter nodded and led the way back to his office. Halfway there, Liv burst in from the entrance. Now under light, Vega could see that while Liv wasn't surrounded by Fiendfyre like she and Roni were, there was still soot that stood out on her burnt sienna skin and ash flecks in her kinky curls.

"Vega," Liv looked from her to Potter, concern clear in her brown eyes. "Deputy Chief."

"Murphy. Thank you for coming." Potter greeted before continuing to his office.

Liv glanced at Vega in alarm before catching up to her in Potter's tow. While Roni could communicate with grunts, Liv could have entire conversations with her eyes, eyebrows and head tilts. Now her eyebrows were raised, dark eyes wide and her head was tilted down. _What happened? Are you okay?_

Like Vega had with Roni, she learned Liv's language. While she didn't have nearly as impressive eyebrows or as expressive eyes, she made up with shoulders and hands. Vega raised one hand and both shoulders. _Don't know. Unclear._

Liv frowned but they had reached their destination and couldn't keep 'talking.'

Potter's office was controlled chaos. His desk was the focal point of the room and it was covered in files, parchment, inks, quills, and a mug that read 'World's Best Dad.' Pressed against most of the walls were file cabinets and where you could see the walls they held posters of the Holyhead Harpies, most notably of their Chaser, and portraits of his family. Against the farthest wall was a side-table with all the necessities to make tea. In front of his desk were two plush chairs and a coffee table between them.

Standing up from one of those chairs was a tall black man with broad shoulders.

"Excellent, I'm glad Harry was able to catch you." Kingsley Shacklebolt said as they entered, shaking their hands. "Miss Black, Miss Murphy. It's a pleasure to meet the two of you."

Vega quietly disagreed. If everything was going well, she would not be shaking hands with the Minister of Magic in the dead of night. "Minister Shacklebolt."

"Please, Kingsley will do. It was not so long ago that I was an Auror." He gestured to the other chair while Potter sat on the edge of his desk, somehow not knocking anything off.

Vega considered her options quickly. She could sit, command the chair like she had been trained as a child, and trust Liv to stand behind her, looking intimidating. She glanced at Liv and saw the set of her jaw, the way she stood, how hunched her shoulders were. Liv was as exhausted as Vega was but Vega had been sitting for the past 30 minutes.

With a, hopefully, elegant tilt of her head, Vega offered the chair to Liv. Liv looked relieved and sank gratefully into the seat.

"Tea?" Potter offered, rising to go to his side table where the kettle lay.

"Please." Minister Shacklebolt answered before looking to Liv.

"Oh, no thank you. If I take any now, I'll be awake all night."

They all turned to Vega. She thought of ice water and tried not to look anxious.

"Yes. Please." Vega had a feeling she'd be burning the midnight oil. As soon as Vega could, she'd be sending Liv home- if she wasn't so nervous, the other woman would probably drop off in the chair.

"While we wait for the water, let's hit the floor running." Potter said, gesturing to Liv. "Murphy, would you give us your report? I understand that there was a trap for Rowle and Dolohov."

Liv looked at Vega, one eyebrow raised and her eyes wide. _This is odd._

Normally if they needed to make an immediate verbal report, Vega presented it to Chief Wilkinson. Something was up, but they couldn't convene to talk about it now.

Vega shrugged a shoulder and nodded. _I agree, but please go on._

"Shortest version?" Liv sat up straighter and leaned forward. "We, Elfie and I, searched Dolohov's to make sure that there were no traps. Elfie found one, deactivated it and told the MLEP to call Mervyn Cecil, someone she knew back when she was an Unspeakable. Then we went to assist Vega and Roni. When we came back to the house, we found a number of Unspeakables. They questioned Elfie-"

Vega flinched. Elfie did not _do _center of attention. Being in a room with handful of people she knew could sometimes be trying for her.

Also, the Unspeakables weren't an investigating force. Why were they questioning one of her people?

"I sent her home after they were done. And then I came here."

"Do you know what they were talking about?" Minister Shacklebolt asked, accepting a tea cup and saucer from Potter. Potter offered Vega the next one and she awkwardly held it.

"They were alarmed about the item the trap was guarding but they were using some spell that made them unintelligible." Liv said quietly, looking sheepishly at them. "I sent Elfie home because after they were done questioning her, she sat down in the middle of the floor and curled up." Liv told Vega.

Vega nodded, Elfie only did that when she was shutting down. A part of her regretted bringing Elfie but she squashed it. Elfie clearly knew something important and if she hadn't been there then they could have missed something. Hopefully she'd be feeling better tomorrow, enough to speak to Vega.

"That's alright Miss Murphy. That's all we needed from you. Could you leave us?" Minister Shacklebolt put his saucer and cup on the table and rose, shaking Liv's hand and gesturing to the door.

Vega opened her mouth to ask if they needed Liv to stay here.

"Murphy can actually head home, I think." Potter told Minister Shacklebolt before looking at Vega and Liv. "Thank you for coming so quickly." He rose from the desk and opened the door for her. "Have a good night. We won't be keeping Black long."

Liv shot a look at Vega, raising her eyebrows. _Are you okay?_

Vega nodded and watched Liv disappear down the hallway. Potter closed the door and cast a spell that caused it to shimmer- the _Imperturbable charm_ most likely- before taking his 'seat' again.

Vega took Liv's chair, crossing her ankles beneath and balancing the saucer on one knee. "Gentlemen, what are you two so," _frightened _was her first thought. "Concerned about?"

"What do you remember about Augustus Rookwood?" Minister Shacklebolt asked, leaning forward, teacup grasped in his hands.

She riffled through her mental cabinets before getting to that 'file'. "Augustus Rookwood, Death Eater. Currently a patient of St. Mungo's, possibly for life, for injuries sustained at the Battle of Hogwarts." She paused, thinking. "Ex-Unspeakable."

"Most of that is correct." Minister Shacklebolt said. "But he 'sustained injuries' after the Battle of Hogwarts. After he was able to steal some top secret items from the Department of Mysteries."

Vega felt her heart plummet again. "Why was I not made aware of this?"

"At the time, Chief Wilkinson and Chief Rothschild thought the explosion that Rookwood was injured in destroyed the items. It wasn't until Miss Lewis noticed one of them and called in the Head of the Department of Mysteries to confirm that we realized we were wrong." Potter leaned heavily against his desk, looking pensive and tired. "I don't agree with the cover up, but it's too late to do anything now without casting doubt on the Aurors and the Ministry itself."

_Ah, he's angry,_ Vega realized. "Continuing the cover-up does no one any favors. At least, not where my team is involved."

"I understand. Your team is one of our best and that is why we want you to work this." Minister Shacklebolt set aside the saucer. "You are cleared to tell them what you think is necessary for the case."

Potter glanced at Vega and she had a feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking: She wouldn't keep any of this from her team.

"What was stolen?"

"Three prototypes from the Chamber of Death." Potter glared at his tea. "They-" He paused, angry still. "Have you heard of _The Tale of the Three Brothers_?"

* * *

Reviews make me happy!


	3. Chapter 3: Prototypes Lost

Chapter 3

**Prototypes Lost**

"It's a Beedle the Bard's Tale. It's a common fairy tale told in," Vega almost said _Pure-blood_. "Wizarding families." She frowned, going through her mental cabinets before a horrifying thought came to her. "Merlin's Beard! Please tell me that they weren't working on an Elder Wand prototype."  
"Oh, oh no. No, no, no." Potter looked alarmed just considering it. "Bloody Hell." He mulled about it a moment more then shook his head. "The Resurrection Stone."  
"The stone that calls back the spirits of lost loved ones?" Vega recalled, thinking. She suddenly remembered a weathered faced with understanding brown eyes. She was happy she inherited his eyes.

_I could see him again. Could speak to him. Hear his voice._ Vega _yearned_, and a small part of her that _hated _loosened at the idea of righting a wrong.  
She looked up and saw Potter looking at her. Again she felt like he knew what she was thinking, and he was weighing her.  
"_Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as if by a veil."_ Grandpa was reading to her. She had forgotten that- that he had read to her when she was small.  
Her grandfather didn't deserve that fate- stuck between the living and the dead. Vega let go of the hope taking root and felt her hate fester anew.  
Vega looked back at Potter, determined. He stared her down for a moment, then relaxed, nodding. "You understand. If this gets out, this has the potential to destroy a lot of lives. The temptation is too strong."  
Vega did. Everyone had lost someone they loved. It was an unfortunate side-effect of living.

"What were the other items?"  
"A device that could, in theory, summon Dementors." Potter held out a hand to Vega to postpone her reaction. "Which Lewis identified last night. It's already been returned to the DoM. The last one was a…" Potter picked up a file on his desk, flipping it open to check. "A 'Ghost Subduer?' It could be used to control ghosts and other spirit-like entities."  
"What?!" Vega leaned back in her chair in shock. She could see why someone would want that made. Peeves was a terror and he alone gave the Death Eaters hell when they took over Hogwarts. The other ghosts used their ability to phase through walls as a way to spy for Dumbledore's Army. "Who ordered its creation?!"  
It was Potter turn to lean back from her. "It was created while Voldemort controlled the Ministry."  
That made sense, up to a certain point. "Why? Voldemort had no interest in the afterlife, just in extending his own."  
"He didn't order their creation, but we can't figure out who did. A lot of things were created and done with little oversight." Minister Shacklebolt pointed out. "We destroyed most of the items, and tried to undo as much damage as possible. We still are, and we're never going to be finished."  
Vega breathed, forcing herself to calm.  
"I understand." She said, straightening. They would never be able to undo it all, heal all the wounds, or bring back any of the dead.  
_With the stone they could get closure, _an insidious voice whispered. _Starting with Grandpa._  
Vega imagined one of the large, fluffy, bright pink pillows she kept on the couch. She imagined smothering that voice with that pink pillow. She _**could not**_ listen to it. Not today, at any rate, especially when it sounded too much like Her.  
"We would like you to focus on retrieving the Resurrection Stone. While the Ghost Subduer is a threat, we can warn them about its existence and put in place safety measures." Minister Shacklebolt ordered before rising. Vega and Potter rose to their feet as well. "Start first thing in the morning. This takes precedence over any other case."  
Vega nodded. "Of course."  
The Minister of Magic nodded to both of them before leaving the room.  
Vega waited until Minister Shacklebolt had disappeared from view before rounding on Potter. "What are you not telling me?" She pinned him with a stare. The way he looked at her after he told her about the Stone made her feel like he knew more than he was saying.  
Potter looked at her then nodded again, flicking his wand at the cabinet and summoning glasses and a decanter. "Something stronger than tea?"  
"I have a report to finish." Vega shook her head and Potter poured himself a finger of amber liquid. He didn't drink, just cradled the glass for a moment, lost in thought.  
It had been almost nine years since the Battle of Hogwarts, but in that moment, Potter looked like it had been yesterday. He looked as vulnerable as any seventeen year old.  
"At one point I had the true Resurrection Stone." He began quietly. "It was Professor Dumbledore's last gift to me." He paused again, too many emotions flickering over his face. Vega pushed down the unreasonable jealousy his statement brought forth. A lot of people had noticed the special connection that Potter seemed to have with the Headmaster, the greatest wizard of his time. The Headmaster was a very busy man so he couldn't give the same attention to all his students. That was why one of her fondest memories was of him praising her for her bravery.

"He left- the only way I could get to it, though, was to admit I was going to die." Potter glanced at his glass and downed the whole thing as Vega's stomach _dropped_. "I used it to call my- my family and I dropped it. I thought no one would find it."  
"Someone did?" Vega's voice was soft as she shoved away her own conflicted feelings. Forcing a seventeen year old to admit he was going to die seemed far too cruel for the man she thought she knew. _But then, I never _did _know him._  
"I honestly can't say. The DoM will only say that a prototype had been stolen. It's possible the original is still lost. As it should be."  
_Did you ever think of getting it? _Vega wanted to ask. Potter was still cradling the empty glass, staring down at it.  
"Thank you." Vega breathed instead, standing up to leave.  
Potter nodded, his mind a million miles away.

-  
Vega took the Floo network home. She was too tired to apparate confidently and didn't want to wake Liv to stitch her back up.  
Her house was quiet. She stepped out of the fireplace, carefully avoiding the alarm spells Elfie set up and resetting the electronic alarm with a flick of her wand. The fireplace was in the living room with a clear view of the dining room. Both were dark but someone was sitting at the dining table.  
Liv rested her head on her arms, worry lines on her face even as she slept.  
"Mimsy." Vega called softly, fingering the blanket draped over Liv.  
A smallish humanoid appeared at her elbow wearing a far too large shirt like a dress with AC/DC emblazoned on it- probably an old one of Roni's. The female house elf looked up at Vega with large grey eyes.

"Mistress?" She squeaked.  
"Could you get Liv to bed, please? I'd appreciate it."  
"Of course Mistress. I told her that I would wait for your arrival, as always, but she seemed most upset." The house elf's voice started as squeaking and ended in a rasp.

That was Liv- always had her heart on her sleeve and would give it out to anyone she thought needed it. Vega briefly remembered how the taller woman had answered her cruelty with kindness as a child until the grey-haired girl finally realized how stupid she was being. Liv accepted her heartfelt apology but a part of Vega still felt she had a long way to go before she was worthy of their friendship.  
"Thank you Mimsy. I know I can count on you when I'm not home."  
"Always, Mistress. The young ladies left food for you in the fridge. Would you like me to reheat it for you?"  
"No, I'll be fine. Thank you."  
Mimsy put her hand on Liv's shoulder and disappeared.  
Vega crossed into the kitchen and pulled out the takeout. Lamb Gyro, perfect. She didn't bother with reheating it, getting a plate, silverware, or even sitting, instead she stood over the sink. She felt Mimsy's eyes on her, probably judging her choices. Mimsy's judging eyes were nothing compared to Vega's-  
Vega quickly aborted that train of thought. She knew her thoughts got… weird after a catch.  
_Focus on the future, not on a past that will never come again._ Vega reasoned, but an enraged thought followed. _Lysandra is your enemy now. Don't forget she murdered Grandpa._  
Vega breathed in deeply and then let it out, imagining her rage as her breath leaving her body. Some days it worked.  
She forced her shoulders to relax. She had something else to do, something more pressing to figure out.  
Humming, she considered. She was able to get the file for the original theft report, the report on Rookwood's capture and his admittance papers to St. Mungos. She had questions, but they wouldn't be answered tonight.  
"To bed, mistress." Mimsy rasped, tugging on Vega's blazer when the young woman finished chewing.  
Vega tossed her trash and followed the house elf.

-  
"Are you dead?"  
Vega groaned, rolling over. Liv stood over her, having pushed aside the curtains around her bed. She was dressed in loose fitting clothing with a yellow scarf tied to keep her curls out of her face.  
"Not unless being dead hurts." Vega answered, considering the smothering capabilities of her pillows. Not against Liv, of course- Liv would lay her flat with one hand. "Ugg."  
Liv sighed. "Where? Do you have splinters too?"  
Vega gave that careful thought. She had a migraine, probably from stress but her body hurt too. "No? I…" She thought carefully about the events of last night. "I landed wrong. I didn't break anything." She sat up, pushing down nausea and her covers. Her arm was black and blue. Lifting up her shirt, the rest of her side looked much the same.  
Liv raised her eyebrows looking at the bruises, then pinned Vega with a stare. "I'll go grab some ointment. Should be in tip-top shape in about 30 minutes. Then I'll beat you up and give you some more." She handed over a slim blue vial.  
Vega could have kissed her for the migraine potion. "Sounds like a plan."  
"And I know how much you like plans." Liv said, stepping out of Vega's room but leaving the door open behind her.  
Vega glared at the door through her canopy curtain like it had betrayed her. She signed, glopped down the contents of the vial, and flopped back down. A moment later a squat bottle sailed through the air toward where her head used to be. It bounced off the bed backboard and smacked her in the head. "Ow."  
"Sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought you'd see it." Liv said from the doorway.  
"Yeah, yeah." Vega sat up again, bottle in hand, and waved Liv and her apologizes away. Liv would apologize all day if she let her. The taller woman disappeared down the hallway.  
With a groan, she looked around her room, weighing the jar in her hand. The plants holding her curtains opened them fully so she could step out. She put her feet on the floor and slathered Liv's ointment on her left leg, arm and side. Her wrist twinged so she paid extra attention to it, applying a generous amount before rising to her feet.  
Mimsy was putting hot tea on the small table in the alcove behind Vega's bed. The window curtains had already been pulled away and the tendrils of ivy growing along the ceiling were sunning themselves. She gave her plant an affectionate pat before taking her seat next to the window and looking out into the park across the street. The sun had been rising for a few minutes.  
"Thank you Mimsy." Vega murmured, feeling a lot better than she had when she woke up already but still tired.  
"Of course Mistress." She squeaked. "Will you require anything else, Mistress?"  
"No, thank you Mimsy, that will be all." Vega answered, taking a calming breath. The young woman knew the house elf was gone by the small 'pop' she heard. She flicked her wand at her dresser, calling the files she took from on top and her contact lenses beside them.  
_I slept way too far past my morning alarm. _She thought, looking at the time before summoning her glasses over, forgoing the contact lenses for now. Vega and Liv were early risers for different reasons- Liv rose with the sun because she was a naturally early riser but Vega was only a morning person for necessity and only if her routine was done. Otherwise her poor mood could follow her until bed. _I'll have to combine and shorten morning tea and meditation.  
_She gave herself three minutes to enjoy her charm-cooled tea and clear her head before flipping open the files detailing Rookwood's theft and capture. They were both wonderfully precise and maddeningly vague. His capture and steps taken to do so were thoroughly described, but how he stole the items was unclear. Vega couldn't be sure if it was just bad investigative work or if it had been intentionally omitted from the report because of the work the Unspeakables were doing. She sighed and rubbed her temples as a plan of action formed.

They would have to start over.


	4. Chapter 4: Unspeakable Questions

Apologies for the delay! I honestly thought today was Tuesday. Its been one of those weeks.

* * *

Chapter 4

**Unspeakable Questions**

Vega limped away from her self-defense class with Liv as Roni bounced up.

"You look terrible." Roni said cheerfully.

"Fights based on looks are too easy against you, that's why I won't sink to your level." Vega responded. "I'm off to wake up Elfie, we meet in 30 minutes. We were given a special job last night."

Roni perked up even more. She was always more cheerful the day after a job well done. If Vega liked plans, Roni loved having a goal and seeing actual results. "Do you want me to skip my lesson?"

"No." Liv called from inside the first floor room she had taken over for her classes.

"I don't want to have to take it for you." Vega told Roni before making her way to the second floor. She stopped at the very last door, furthest from the stairs, and knocked three short and then swiped her knuckles across the door frame.

"Come in." Elfie called and Vega entered.

Elfie's bedroom had a giant TV set along one wall with a number of gaming consoles around. Between that and her computer set up, there was hardly any room for drawers, an end table and her bed but Elfie had expertly found room for them like it was a game of tetris.

Elfie was sitting on the floor in front of her TV, headphones on, one leg drawn up to her chest. She was still in her pjs and her hair was a mess.

Vega sat down next to her, picking up a controller and headphones of her own. "Halo, right?"

"Mnn." Elfie nodded, immersed in her multiplayer game.

If memory served her, Vega would have to wait until this game was done to join. So she sat quietly, trying to remember the controls and keeping an eye on Elfie.

Elfie playing a "violent" video game meant she was stressed, but a multiplayer didn't always meant that. Sometimes she just had a difficult puzzle and going through a game with clear rules against others seemed to help. She did, much to Vega's relief, look like she had slept last night.

Vega's mind went to the Elfie of Ravenclaw- small, a bit shy and a total nerd. The grey-haired woman could always count on Elfie to be up to date on the newest technology and magical theory, something the shorter woman argued was essential for a team dedicated to catching Death Eaters.

She was also Vega's first real friend at Hogwarts and the blue-haired woman was constantly pulling her into fandoms she thought the other would like.

"You want to know about last night and what it was I found." Elfie said quietly, pulling off the headset. She was waiting to respawn.

"I was given some information at the ministry." Vega paused, thinking about the questions she had. "We were asked to investigate the other missing prototypes so you don't have to worry too much. I don't need to know about them, I need to know about how it happened in the first place. It was before your time at the ministry, but can you tell me about it?"

Elfie's jaw snapped shut and her eyes got big and pleading. All Unspeakables made an Unbreakable Vow and after the second Wizarding War the vow was revised to cover any loopholes Voldemort's allies could take advantage of.

_Was that before or after Rookwood stole from them? _Vega mused, before reassuring Elfie. "That's okay."

A horrifying thought occurred to her.

"Are you unable to talk about it because it's still _possible _to steal the same way Rookwood did from the Department?" Vega breathed.

Elfie looked at her, jaw clenched.

"Hooo." Vega jumped up, knocking the controller and the headphones to the floor. Her mind was racing ahead of what she could track. She wanted to pace but childhood training kicked in to tell her, sternly, that Blacks do not pace. It was a sign of stress and therefore a sign of weakness.

So Vega closed her eyes and breathed. She counted her breaths, she opened her eyes to stare at a spot on the wall, she tapped her fingers against her leg in the tune of 'Hot Cross Buns.'

She had her silent freak out, then reined herself in.

"Right." Vega said, turning her eyes from the wall to look down at Elfie. Elfie was looking back at her, clearly frightened.

"Are- are you alright?" Elfie seemed like she was ready to bolt.

"I'm- I'm alright. Honestly, a little mad that what Rookwood did is still possible." Vega pursed her lips. The guessing game between herself and Elfie could lead her down rabbit holes and on wild goose chases. "Who _could _tell me more?"

"Mervyn Cecil." Elfie answered immediately.

"What can you tell me about him?"

Elfie opened her mouth, worked her jaw, and then blinked up at her.

"Nothing?"

"He went to Hogwarts. He was born and raised in England." Elfie struggled for things to say.

"When did he join the Department?" Vega wanted to know if he was there when the prototypes were commissioned.

Elfie's eyes got big.

"Nothing related to his job, got it." Vega knew that.

But at least now she had a starting point.

"Yo." Roni called when Vega came down the stairs.

"Sup." Vega answered. She had showered, changed, and generally made herself presentable. She felt more powerful now, able to have more control over things.

"I heard you spoke to Potter. How did that go?" Roni tilted her head, seemingly being genuinely concerned. Vega knew she could, but hadn't seen that concern aimed at her unless there was death on the line.

"Oh, I started everything off with saying 'Potter!'" She said, scrunching her face into her best impression of a scowling Draco.

Roni's jaw dropped.

"Noooo." Liv's voice groaned from the living room.

"Does- Should we stop doing that?" Roni asked, looking sheepish.

"I'm not. The joke has a new level to it now." Vega grinned at them. Potter hadn't seemed too angry, just surprised.

"Should I explain the joke to him?" Roni leaned against the wall, smirking. She was the one who elevated it to an inside joke while they were still in school.

Vega shrugged, with everything going on right now, he may have already forgotten it. "At the moment I need us all to convene in the library."

Roni nodded and headed down the hallway away from where Liv's voice came from, opening an ornate dark wood door.

"Let me finish up here." Liv's voice came from the kitchen this time.

"I figure you have five minutes before Roni gets bored and sets something on fire."

"Yeeeep." Roni called from inside the library.

Liv snorted.

Elfie stormed down the stairs, washed, hair up in a ponytail, wearing a neon pink shirt that made Vega's eyes hurt. She disappeared into the library.

Vega made a mental note to tell her to change later, though she didn't think she'd forget. She followed Elfie into the library after blinking to prepare her eyes.

The library was the second largest room in the house, with a second floor and each wall lined with bookshelves. It was originally much smaller, holding five bookshelves but it wasn't big enough for all the books between the women so they expanded it. The work took a long time but Vega felt it was worth it. Elfie was particularly proud of her collection of coding texts, even though she said half of them were out of date and useless.

Vega entered to find Roni giving the waste basket a calculating look and Elfie was holding a thick volume to her chest.

"Don't burn any books." Vega told Roni and Elfie relaxed.

"Aww." Roni said half-hearted. It was an old tatic the four employed with suspects or reluctant witnesses- work quick or something would be on fire. So far Roni was in the lead for actually setting fires but Liv and Elfie were right behind. Vega had yet to set any herself because she was always with someone who'd be happy to do it for her. Even Liv couldn't resist the temptation of setting something ablaze.

Liv slipped into the room a moment later while Roni was eyeing some loose parchment. "No Roni."

The shortest woman shrugged before taking a seat at the table in the middle of the room. Elfie finally relinquished her hold on the book, setting it down in front of her.

Vega waited for Liv to take her seat before speaking. "As you may well know, because nothing stays secret long in this house, we've been given a new job. Here is the information we have." She pushed copies of the slim arrest file to all three of them. Liv dutifully slipped on her glasses to read the papers. Roni, on the other hand, scowled instead of putting on the monocle Vega bought her or the glasses Liv insisted she get. Vega looked away to stop herself from getting a sympathy headache. "On May 14th, 1998, Augustus Rookwood, through undisclosed methods, stole three prototypes from the Department of Mysteries."

The three paged through the file. It took only a minute or two.

"It doesn't say what was stolen." Roni quickly pointed out.

"That is correct. You are not to tell anyone what those prototypes are either." Vega warned them. "They created an item that summons Dementors, something that subdues ghosts and a copy of the Resurrection Stone.

"On September 4th, the MLEP followed a lead to Rookwood. During the fight a car exploded and Rookwood was injured. It was thought the prototypes were destroyed in the blast."

"Until Elfie found one last night." Liv, face still distressed with the knowledge that such dangerous things were stolen, looked up at Vega. The grey-haired woman nodded.

"Elfie found the Dementor Summoner last night. The Ministry would like us to focus on finding the Resurrection Stone."

Roni was looking at the file with a severe frown. Vega momentarily wondered if she even heard of Beedle the Bard or knew the story of the Three Brothers before pushing it aside. If Roni had a question, she'd ask.

"There is next to nothing in the file." Vega admitted to them. "We'll have to piece together what happened from the beginning."

"You'd make us do that anyway." Roni muttered under her breath but sound carried in the room. Louder, she added. "The tip to Rookwood was anonymous. That bothers me."

Vega frowned. Roni's instincts were sharp, something that not even the higher-ups could deny when the former Slytherin pushed for the old Gryffindor to be on her team. The team leader thought perhaps a concerned citizen had called it in, but maybe not.

"Doesn't have anything about it. Not how the tip was delivered, or- anything really. Just that they were there because of it." Roni finished before slamming the file closed. "I can't believe they got away with writing such a shitty report."

"It was right after the Battle of Hogwarts. Even medical files during that time were sparse. It was like a boat taking on water and the buckets were made out of paper." Liv pushed her folder away with a sigh. "Starting from the beginning is a good play."

Vega tried not to preen. Instead, she gave them their assignments: "Liv and Elfie, go to the Department of Mysteries and St. Mungos. Work from both ends- how it was stolen and where Rookwood ended up. Roni, we'll look into what was actually investigated and how Rookwood could have hidden them."

"We are to keep this under wraps for now. The Ministry said Rookwood was injured at Hogwarts. So, officially this investigation never happened. Originally or now."


	5. Chapter 5: Old Wounds

Sorry for the week late upload. I'm going to blame life.

* * *

Chapter 5

**Old Wounds**

Elfie picked at her black robes. She used to love the Department of Mysteries. The entrance chamber to the DoM had twelve identical doors, all but one- the exit- leading to vastly different teams, all studying something _amazing_. Behind each door, endless possibilities.

As she stood in the chamber, made entirely out of black marble with its flickering blue lights and unmarked, handle-less doors, she remembered the hurt of being pushed out. These secrets were no longer hers to uncover or hear about before the general public. After all, Unspeakables can talk to other Unspeakables and who better to share your triumphs with than someone who knows the work?

Her skin prickled and her anxiety started rising up within her like a wave. She counted slowly to ten, breathing in on the odd and exhaling on the even. When that didn't work as well as she hoped, she started over, this time counting to twenty.

Liv was here. Liv with the solid presence, as calm and as steady as the earth. She was wearing a bright yellow scarf, and Liv didn't even flinch when Elfie brushed her fingers along the edges. Liv glanced over and smiled warmly but didn't say anything.

Liv was great like that. Always had been, even when they were in school. When Elfie felt like she was… unmoored, Liv was there to be as steady as a rock, to let the smaller girl lean on her when she was reading, or to listen when she had ideas others- even Ravenclaws- would say were outlandish.

Elfie saw Liv check her watch for the second time. Elfie's internal clock said they'd been waiting eight minutes and forty-three seconds at that point. Vega had called ahead to get them this appointment and Elfie was sure that they were on time.

Elfie frowned. Vega didn't give them the time wrong so they must be busy with something inside. Her hands itched with the prospect of doing something_, anything_. She started counting again, this time to sixty, doing only multiples of three. Numbers helped.

Finally, at thirteen minutes and thirty-two seconds, the door on the second left opened.

Mervyn Cecil was short, stocky, and bald, with eyes that looked giant behind his huge glasses. His black robes were too big for him and dragged on the floor as he walked, bent over with age and leaning on a walking stick. Elfie remembered him as having too much energy and being really touchy- he was always patting people on the back or shoulder.

With him was Prudence Longbottom, his long time assistant and day-to-day handler. Her curly blond hair was cut short and she was wearing dark red lipstick. Her grey eyes were covered with thick, pink, gemstone encrusted half-moon glasses, which Elfie thought were to draw the eye away from her crow's feet wrinkles. She had always been distant to Elfie but she was that way with everyone. Vega could call her a 'career woman.'

Elfie didn't like her. Prudence was the one who 'suggested' Elfie leave researching behind and pushed her to joining Vega's team when the grey-haired woman offered a career change. Though Elfie couldn't find herself regretting what she did as an Auror, she also couldn't deny she missed her quiet days of discovery.

"Ophelia Lewis. Ophelia, Ophelia, Ophelia." Mervyn hobbled quickly over with a cane and started to take her hands. "How _good _it is to see you."

Elfie froze. Liv reached over and grabbed Mervyn's hands to shake them. He peered up at Liv like he didn't expect to see her. His gaze… changed as he took her in. "Olivia Murphy, is it?"

"That's me, sir. Mervyn Cecil?" Liv answered as Mervyn shook her hands forcefully.

"That's me. Everyone calls me Merv though. Ain't that right, Olphie?" Merv pronounced it 'Ol-fee' and it bothered her- she had come up with her teammates' nicknames, as well as her own. Merv looked at Elfie and she avoided making eye contact. Something about him always unnerved Elfie, but she wasn't a people person.

"Right, right. You don't like touching or looking people in the eye. I remember, I remember." He poked himself in the head before spinning around. He startled to see Ms. Longbottom there. "Pru, what are you doing here?"

"You told me to escort them, remember sir?" Ms. Longbottom coaxed gently.

Mervyn nodded, his head bobbing on his tiny neck. "Right, right. Well, if you're here, I'm off to do work. Bye Olphie, bye Olive."

"Sir? The Oath?" Ms. Longbottom cut off his escape with the words.

"Hmmm? Right. Ophelia Lewis. You are allowed to speak to members of the Anti-Death Eater Taskforce in regards to the theft of the prototypes from the Chamber of Death." His voice came out clear and he was very precise with the wording. He had his back to them so Elfie couldn't make out his face, but his very… being in that moment seemed different.

_He's always been a smart man_, Elfie thought.

After throwing a smile over his shoulder, Mervyn hobbled off the way he entered and shut the door behind him.

"Miss Lewis, Miss Murphy, if you would come with me." Ms. Longbottom said before spinning on her heel to go through the door to the Chamber of the Mind.

The first room was long and rectangular, with lamps hanging low on golden chains from the ceiling. Elfie's eyes immediately skipped over the few desks to the middle of the room where an enormous glass tank sat. Inside deep-green water, pearly white objects slowly drifted as though in a current. Beside the large tank stood a line of thinner but taller tanks leading into the back of the room, one of those pearly objects bobbing in each of them.

Ms. Longbottom strode across the room towards the back, slipping past both other Unspeakables and the containers. Elfie and Liv followed, but Liv froze next to the tank, recognizing what floated within.

"Are those-"

Elfie tugged on her arm to pull her away from the floating brains to catch up with Ms. Longbottom.

The older woman gave them a look over her half-moon glasses before turning to tap her wand against the forty-second tile across and the fifth tile down. The wall opened, revealing a table and chairs. "After you."

Liv entered without hesitation. Elfie's heart skipped a beat, her anxiety rising up again. _There is nothing in there. Liv would have seen that. And if the opening closes, we can open it from inside._

A part of her wished Vega was here. She'd scan the room thoroughly with those cutting eyes of hers, giving the haughty Ms. Longbottom a once-over. Or Roni, who'd flip the chair backwards and slouch in it. She'd be so rude and flippanate, Ms. Longbottom would try to get them out as soon as possible. But they may not get all they needed from Ms. Longbottom.

Liv turned when Elfie didn't follow her and smiled. Elfie found herself smiling back and entered.

Liv would be perfectly polite and get everything they needed so they'd- she'd- never have to come back.

Ms. Longbottom came in after them and gestured at the opening with her wand. The hole re-sealed itself and the walls shimmered.

"This," she began, "is what we call the Speaking Room. After the Second Wizarding War, we realized that the Unbreakable Vow all Unspeakables take needed to be revised. The members at the time made another vow to not talk about Unspeakable matters unless it is with another Unspeakable or in this room." She nodded to Elfie. "Since then we have changed the Vow for younger members to being able to talk about certain matters if the Head of the Department allows it."

Elfie tilted her head. Now that she was an Auror, she saw the problem with that.

"What if the Head of the Department had been a Death Eater?" Liv asked gently, taking a seat.

"There are measures in place for preventing such an occurrence." Ms. Longbottom answered, sliding into her own seat. She put a black notebook on the table and flipped it open. "This is the log for the time period in which we believe the items were taken." She slid it over to Liv.

Elfie sat down next to Liv to read it as well. The log looked a lot like the file the Aurors had- almost word for word in some places. It boiled down to _We discovered they were gone. We looked and concluded the items had been stolen._

"This…" Liv frowned at the log. "Could you give us some more information?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Who discovered the theft?" Liv pulled out her own notebook from her robes.

"I did."

Elfie tilted her head again. "What were you doing in the Chamber of Death?" From what Elfie remembered, Ms. Longbottom was almost never far from Mervyn.

"I was looking for something. During my search, I realized that the prototypes were gone. I called the Unspeakables in that department to search for them immediately since we had just thrown out the Death Eaters and their supporters a month or so before. We searched and could not find them."

"And how did you come to the conclusion that it was stolen by Rookwood?"

"The new Ministry thought the items were too dangerous and they had been set aside to be destroyed later that day. Rookwood had shown interest in the items and was very… involved with their creations." Ms. Longbottom responded.

Elfie saw Liv frown and knew she must have missed something. "I can't... I can't imagine how that could have been." Liv said softly.

"No." Ms. Longbottom snapped. It was only then that Elfie realized Ms. Longbottom was paler than usual. "You don't. We normally- we normally don't do- tests in the Chamber of Death. We normally don't get…" She paused, swallowing. "We normally don't get volunteers."

Ms. Longbottom got up and went to stand in the corner. Liv followed, pulling out a handkerchief to give to the older woman. Ms. Longbottom took it and dabbed her eyes. "We lost… we lost so many people. _I knew them_." She burst into tears.

Elfie felt incredibly embarrassed. She wasn't the best at noticing people's emotions, she knew that. But Ms. Longbottom had seemed like she had no emotions to speak of during Elfie's time at the DoM.

Elfie also knew she was not good with comforting people in any emotional crisis.

Liv wrapped her arms around Ms. Longbottom to tuck the older woman into her shoulder as she rubbed soothing circles on the blonde's back.

_Liv was the perfect person to come,_ Elfie thought.

* * *

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6: A Prickly Widow

Chapter 6

**A Prickly Widow**

Roni flicked a pen at Vega's back as the taller woman bent over the filing cabinet. Vega paused for a beat, stood up straight, and then spun to Roni with a look that said, "Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Why are you looking through it for, what, the fifth time? If it had been there, you would have found it the first time." Roni accio'd the pen back and tossed it again.

This time, Vega caught it and rolled her eyes.

_Good_, Roni thought. _Vega spends way too much time in her head._

Roni leaned back against file cabinets. They were in was the illustrious 'File Room' of the MLEP. "_Where cases go to die,"_ Roni remembered someone telling her back when she was struggling. Being what she was, she didn't have many job options and the MLEP would only hire her conditionally.

Then Vega pulled all the strings she had and set up the- Vega's- task force. A novel idea at the time- Auror's usually only got together at the end of a case, when they were sure that the dark witch or wizard was at a certain location. And then it was only Aurors and maybe some members of the MLEP who grouped together, after paperwork was filed and schedules arranged.

Which, of course, wasn't good enough for Vega _I-Have-A-Plan-Full-Speed-Ahead_ Black. Not only did she want a group who would work a case from beginning to end but she wanted people from different departments- _different careers_\- too. Roni wasn't sure what was scarier: the fact that clearly it was working since they had the highest close rate even if they were looking at catches per Auror instead at the team as a whole or that she still wasn't sure how Vega got the sign off on pulling together her team.

"It should be here." Vega said evenly. Which meant she was frustrated. She was weird like that.

"It was a long shot to being with." _And you knew that,_ Roni thought, but Vega needed to check all the avenues. "There aren't any other files about the case."

Vega huffed, but straightened her jacket. "Alright then we'll need to speak with the officer who got the case."

Roni nodded. "He's dead. Died from a heart attack about a year ago."

Vega looked suspicious. "And we're sure on that?"

"I put in a request for his examination. Should be sent to our desks in about 30 minutes, assuming there is no backlog." Roni put her hands on her hips. "I also checked to see where any of his personal effects went. He has an ex-wife who may have some of this things. I even got her address. All while you were in here."

Vega whistled. "It's almost like you're an investigator or something."

Roni blew a raspberry at her.

"But seriously, well done. I've got nothing to add to that." Vega continued.

Roni felt warm in her chest and really hoped she wasn't doing something silly, like blushing. "Thanks."

Vega started towards the door but Roni held out her arm. "You may want to dust yourself off, Peacock."

Vega snapped her black blazer, dusted her shoulders, then ran her fingers through her hair, redoing her ponytail. "How's that?"

"You could talk to Potter now."

Vega scrunched her face at Roni. "That ship sailed last night. I don't think he remembers me at all."

"I'd be really surprised at that."

"Well, he did have more pressing things to think about then the weird Slytherin girl who was telling other Slytherins to stop picking on her people, but to pick on Potter instead." Vega's face was pretty red.

"Feeling ashamed, are we? Didn't know you had it in you." Roni started for the door and Vega fell into step next to her, out of the room and into the cubicle space of the MLEP.

"As an adult, I can think of so many other ways I could have handled it."

"Yeah, but kids are stupid." Roni slapped Vega on the back. "I'd be worried if you didn't feel ashamed."

Vega let out a relieved breath and Roni laughed at her as they entered the elevator.

* * *

Bridport was a market town on the edge of the English Channel near the River Brit and its tributary.

"It has a long history of rope making." Roni read in one of the shop windows along the peer. Most of the buildings were old, brick built and three stories or less. The great advantage of the old builds were that no two buildings looked the same. There were very few people around, probably because it was the off-season for tourists and the middle of the work day for the locals.

The wind whipped Roni's hair around and the shorter woman found herself grateful again for the cut. Even with her hair up in a ponytail, Vega was still pulling strands away from her face, grimacing as they stuck to her chapstick.

Vega hummed. "Interesting." Roni bet she was only listening with half an ear, but that was better than none. The two looked around the street before ducking into an alleyway carved out of a building and entering the shop.

Euphemia Prickwillow, ex-wife of Arthur Prickwillow, stood at the cash register of the tiny tourist trap. She was older, with blonde, curly hair going grey but her smile was bright when they entered.

"Good morning, good morning. Welcome!" She called.

Vega made a beeline to the register. "Ms. Prickwillow."

Roni looked around the shop, confident Vega could do the verbal heavy lifting. While the shorter woman could talk to people, her team leader was better at it. If necessary, she could step in and be Worse Cop to Vega's Bad Cop. Only Liv did a convincing Good Cop.

"That's me. How can I help?" Euphemia said brightly.

The brunette wondered if her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She turned and wandered through the displays, watching as the few patrons who were there left. Most people get uncomfortable when they come across a heavily scarred woman. Roni decided at a young age to use that to her advantage.

"Auror Black, this is my partner, Auror Turner." Vega would have flashed her badge at that point if she was holding to pattern. Roni didn't bother to look. "We have some questions about your late ex-husband, Arthur Prickwillow?"

"Oh." Euphemia sounded surprised and worried.

Roni picked up a t-shirt and pretended to look at it while she opened her mind. She imagined she was a ship and other people were ports.

Vega lit up like a lighthouse- easy to find but warned of danger. If someone tried to read the grey-haired woman's mind without her permission, they'd be stuck on her metaphorical rocks. If they were lucky, they'd slam into a blank wall. If they were unlucky, they would get stuck in the labyrinth she had set up to protect her thoughts.

Euphemia, on the other hand, was an open, but tiny port with no concealment on her thoughts so they drifted through the 'current.'

_The Ministry. I thought I heard the last of them after Arthur died. Haven't they taken enough from me? _Euphemia thought, loudly.

"We were just wondering if you kept any of his things. Specifically, work notes?" Vega asked quietly. She'd know Roni would be trying to take a 'look' at Euphemia's thoughts and raised voices could make it harder.

"Then we'll get out of your hair." Roni added. Euphemia wanted them to leave as soon as possible and while she was smiling on the outside, she was considering not helping them. She was also thinking some extremely rude things about Roni and Vega. Roni brushed them off- she could tell that it was less about them and more about their jobs.

And if she was really uncooperative, Roni might have to set something on fire.

_Pitty, this is a nice shop._ Roni though, putting the shirt she was eyeballing back. The design was nice but the shirt was white. Black would have been better. She turned to look at Vega and Euphemia.

"Fine." Euphemia said, cheerfully. Internally she was anything but. She pulled a wand out from behind the counter and flicked it at the door, flipping the 'Open' sign to 'Closed.' "I live upstairs. There is a door in the back to it."

Euphemia led them to a door that went up to the second floor. "Why are you bothering me with this?" She hissed once they were out of the shop. It was like a flip had been switched and she no longer was the perky retail worker.

"We just need his notes for a case." Vega followed right behind Euphemia. Roni kept an ear out for anything going on behind them, sure that Vega had control of the front.

"Just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" The blonde spun at the landing at the top of the stairs. "Working for the Ministry consumed my husband. It cost him our marriage and then his life."

"I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am." Vega said, shrugging off Euphemia's comments like water off a duck's back.

"Yeah, you're sorry. Now that you need something." She went farther into the house, Vega on her heels.

Roni looked back before following. She knew Vega trusted her as a rearguard, and she, in turn, trusted her team leader not to walk them into a trap.

Euphemia's home was filled with delicate lace and breakable china. Vega probably felt right at home but Roni felt like a bull in a high-end shop. She was afraid if she _sneezed_, she'd break something.

"This is the only box I have of his things." Euphemia said, almost tossing the box at their feet.

Vega tilted her head and raised her an eyebrow at her in such a graceful way that Euphemia looked away, embarrassed at her own childish behavior. With careful poise, Vega sank down and picked the box up. "Mind if we take this with us." It wasn't really a question.

"No. Get it out of here."

Vega nodded and turned to leave, showing her profile to the blonde. "Thank you for your cooperation."

* * *

Roni dumped the box of effects on the desk while Vega looked through Arthur's medical examination. Vega gave Roni a dirty look as she moved the typewriter out of the center but Roni just shrugged and started picking through the mess. How else was she supposed to go through it?

The box was full of his old desk items- quills, old ink bottles, some odds and ends, and origami pieces. Man loved his origami. _Probably what he did to de-stress. Maybe I should try._

"Ever think about how we'll end up?" Roni was suddenly hit with melancholy. "Here was an Auror like us, reduced to what could fit in a filing box."

Vega shrugged, probably only listening with half an ear again. "All your things in my house would be way more than a box."

"That's not really the point." Roni paused, considering. "But I'm not sure what my point is."

"When you're dead, you're dead."

The idea of the Resurrection Stone flashed briefly through Roni's mind. Vega looked up at Roni as though _she _was the one who could read thoughts.

"Yeah, who would want you to stick around after your expiration date." Roni grinned at her with too many teeth.

Vega snorted. It was kind of dainty, but it definitely a snort. Roni was alarmed for a good minute.

"Mimsy knows where my will is. There is a copy in the bottom filing cabinet, there." Vega pointed. "Its along the bottom so you'll have to pull all the other stuff out first."

"Why are you telling me this?" Roni didn't want to know. A will sounded so... final, a reminder of the end they all faced. It reminded her of the Battle of Hogwarts, of almost bleeding out while Liv tried to stabilize her, of Vega almost being murdered while running for help, of tiny Elfie having to kill people so they could survive. It reminded her of before that- of trying to spy on Death Eaters after they had taken over Hogwarts and being attacked on a full moon, of thinking she was going to die, alone, and they'd find her ravaged corpse in the morning if they found it at all.

"Because I take care of my people." Vega answered before turning back to the report. And she did- when Roni was attacked that moonlit night, Vega was the one who found her, who _looked _for her, who pulled her into the Slytherin Common Rooms until the sun came out and it was safe to take her to the Hospital Wing. The Slytherin would then check in on her during her recovery and made sure the Gryffindor wasn't going stir crazy from being cooped up.

Around then, Roni figured out that when Vega called the brunette "My Rival," the emphasis was really on "my." Even after the two gave up on any pretense of house rivalry, Vega still called Roni "My Gryffindor."

After another minute, the grey-haired woman signed. "I don't see any problems with this examination." Vega glared at the file for a few seconds more, then slammed it shut. "The Healer did their due diligence when Arthur died. They did every test I could think of, and a couple I hadn't, to see if his death was magic-related. They found nothing." She leaned back, signing again. She wouldn't slouch- maybe couldn't- but she came close.

Theophilus Rothschild rounded the corner so fast, Roni almost jumped. An older man nearing his fifties, he had salt and pepper hair, and dark eyes. Right now, his severe face was unusually red. He was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and he was _pissed_.

"Black, my office. Now." He spun on his heel, not even bothering to wait for Vega to get up.

"Roni, go home and update the others." Vega got up, grabbing her blazer jacket.

"I can just send them a message." Roni said, tilting her head up as she watched Vega gather herself.

"Please." Vega gave Roni a long look, but when she tried to read the taller woman, Vega kept her out.

"Okay, let me clean up here and then I'll go." Roni waved at the mess casually.

Vega nodded and hurried off, her mind already elsewhere, listening with half an ear.

Which was probably why Vega didn't notice Roni's lie.

Roni had yet to meet Rothschild in any official capacity. But what she had heard about him wasn't good. And she really didn't like how Vega wasn't surprised he had called her.

The little hairs on the back of her neck started to stand on end when she realized how quiet the office became. Roni moved one of the chairs closer to the cubicle divider and stood on it. A number of other Aurors and members of the MLEP were starting at Vega as she followed Rothschild into his office. Vega held her head high as any queen- even on the way to her execution. He slammed the door behind her, dropping the blinds.

Suddenly everyone was packing up, grabbing their things, closing files, and heading to the door. Roni was about to ask why when the shouting started.

Rothschild was known to have an explosive temper. He had been the head of the Department before the Second Wizarding War but was overlooked to become the interim and actual Minister of Magic. If he was just angry about that, Roni may have felt some sympathy for him.

She couldn't make out the words but Roni would put a pound to a penny that he was mad they were reopening a case he couldn't be given details about. Roni stepped down from the chair and bit her lip.

Vega probably knew she was going to be yelled at. That's why she had asked Roni to leave- because she knew Roni couldn't let someone scream at her friends unchallenged. But Vega had _finally _underestimated her.

Roni wasn't the same little Gryffindor girl who would wander the school grounds to spy on Death Eaters without an escape plan. She had been living with a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, and a Hufflepuff for a number of years now. She could look before she lept. She could even plan the landing.

The brunette thought for a moment and then wrote up a quick note, sending it off with a quick flick of her wand. She could also fight dirty.

She knew she didn't have Vega's excellent timing so she cleaned up like she said she would. Picked up all Arthur's things-

And that's when she found a key. It was old, which wasn't surprising considering wizards loved their old stuff. The older, the better.

She held it up to the light, turning it over. Brass, or brass looking, intricate, with a 'G' embellished on the handle. Roni pocketed it before taking a deep breath as the yelling rose in pitch. It wouldn't do to challenge someone while she was already angry.

_No matter how much I want to punch someone_, Roni clenched and unclenched her hands in thought.


	7. Chapter 7: The Break In

One day I will update on time, I promise!

* * *

Chapter 7

**The Break In**

Liv let Ms. Longbottom cry on her shoulder while her stomach rolled. _Volunteers?_ Her mind balked at the implications. She put the idea in a box and put that box away from the light of day. It would eat her up inside.

She looked over at Elfie and found her green eyes wide and watery. Liv knew she was a sympathy crier and was barely holding it together herself. If Elfie started, Liv would be right behind.

_Hold it together Olivia,_ she thought to herself. It didn't help, she was still shaking. _Vega, tell me to calm down._

_Calm down._ The memory of Vega's order was followed my Roni's laugh.

_Sort yourself. _The shorter women had said, a smile on her face.

Liv let herself breathe for a moment, concentrating on the feeling of her chest rising and falling. She remembered walking into the exam room for the NEWTS and almost having a breakdown. At the time and in retrospect she knew it was silly- there she was, panicking about a _test _of all things after living through the Battle of Hogwarts three years before. Meanwhile, Vega was a cool as a cucumber, waiting for her friends to finish outside the exam room, exempt as she was since she was the school's TriWizard Champion. The grey-haired woman completed her NEWTS later, after the tournament had ended.

"Ms. Longbottom?" Liv started as soon as she thought she had control of herself. "I'm so sorry for making you go through this again. Could you walk us through the crime scene?" She asked as gently as possible. "As much as you can?"

Ms. Longbottom nodded. "I-I-I can point but I won't be able to do more than that."

The older woman gathered herself, wiping her face and fixing her outfit. After a moment, she looked closer to how they first saw her, though her eyes were still red.

"This way, please." Ms. Longbottom gestured to the wall as it opened and the three women exited.

Ms. Longbottom did what she could with what she had. She took them to the Chamber of Death, a large, dimly lit and rectangular room. Instead of a pool in the center, it was sunken like an old Greek Amphitheater with stone benches lining the room. In the middle of the center was a stone dais with an ancient archway, a tattered black curtain fluttering gently beneath it.

Just looking at the archway made Liv shudder.

Ms. Longbottom pointed and mimed the table and chair set up when there were experiments in the chamber as Elfie took notes in her tiny, neat penmanship. Liv had to put the archway behind her to concentrate on what the older woman was talking about- the swaying curtain seemed to call out to her.

Liv rubbed her arms, trying to sooth the goosebumps away.

They let Ms. Longbottom leave after she finished. Elfie glanced at the archway and then made a circuit of the room, tapping the walls and floor with her wand, probably checking for any secret entrances. Liv did her part and checked her half of the room.

After the attack on the Ministry, the DoM put down an Anti-Disapparation Jinx that rivaled Hogwarts'. A jinx that had not been removed during Voldemort's take over. The thief would have had to come in by foot.

"Could they have just walked in and no one knew?" Liv asked Elfie in a hushed voice. She knew it was just them but she had the strangest feeling that there was someone just on the other side of the archway and it was creeping her out.

Elfie shook her head, her blue hair swinging in its ponytail. "The main door to the outer chamber is locked by a Watchwizard each night after they do a sweep of all accessible chambers. Potter's break in showed all the holes that needed to be plugged."

_Right_, Liv thought. She read the file of the theft and it had that information.

"Accessible?" Liv wondered aloud.

"There is a Chamber only Mervyn as the Head of the Department has access to. And he's not supposed to open it either. That's a quick way to get removed from your position and Obliviated."

Liv felt her eyebrow rise. "Is that what happens when people leave?"

"Only if they leave in disgrace. They didn't do it to me since I left in good standing." Elfie said distantly.

Liv turned to look at Elfie. The other woman never talked about why she left.

_None of us do, if I'm honest._

"Their loss, our gain. If we didn't have you, we wouldn't have looked twice at that whistle." Liv paused. "Okay, we may have looked at it again because it was shaped like a skull with fangs and no lower jaw. Which, knowing what I do now, makes sense?"

Elife laughed, turning to her.

"That's how I remembered. When I heard about them before, I thought 'they were really trying to get across that they were the bad guys, weren't they?'"

"I mean, the Death Eater's mark had a skull and a snake, didn't it?"

Elfie gave another giggle. Liv felt herself relax at little. The blue-haired woman was harder to read than the others, probably because at times Elfie just didn't know how she felt. But if she was laughing, that meant she'd be okay.

"Now, knowing Vega, she'd want us to test the other chambers we can get into to make sure they weren't a point of entry."

Elfie made a face. "Or else she'll send us back. Alright, this way."

Elfie walked back out into the main chamber, standing a little taller than when they entered it the first time.

_She'll be alright,_ Liv thought as she followed.

* * *

Liv saw a lot of weird things in the next hour. _Elfie told her to stay away from brains with tentacles_ levels of **weird**.

What she did not find was a way for someone to enter or hide from the Watchwizard.

_Should we bother the Watchwizards too?_ Liv thought while she sipped her tea. If she didn't, Vega would. With a sigh, she finished her tea before addressing Elfie. "We'll have to talk to the Watchwizards."

The blue-haired woman made a face and Liv sympathized. Most of the Watchwizards were wizards who couldn't make it into the MLEP or they wanted to have power but none of the hard work.

"Vega is good at sweet talking them." Elfie pointed out. She was perched in Vega's chair only because Liv frowned at her drinking or eating under the desk. After finishing up typing on her laptop, she leaned back. "Didn't Roni say one of them had a crush on Vega last night?"

Liv hummed in thought. "True but Vega went with Roni outside the Ministry. They won't be back until lunch time or later." She pointed at the note Vega left for them. "Then they have to leave again. We could take care of this, go to lunch, and then go to the hospital. Easy peezy."

Elfie made a face. "Don't say things like that. You're tempting the universe."

Liv held her hands up in surrender. "Alright. But the guy Vega talked to last night used to be a 'Puff, so he should be more helpful."

Elfie huffled. "I suppose. Let me finish with this program real quick and we can go."

* * *

Of course, the Administrator for the Watchwizards kept them waiting. And the chairs she had them waiting in were not the most comfortable.

'You go.' Elfie mouthed to Liv after they'd been waiting twenty minutes.

The taller woman grimaced. Neither one of them were good at confrontation. But while she wasn't good at it, Elfie was worse. She stood up and approached the desk. Elspeth, the Administrator with a sunny smile and a sunnier disposition, greeted her.

"I'm sorry, I haven't forgotten you. I really appreciate your patience."

Liv nodded, smiling back. "Thank you. Do you have an ETA on him?"

Elspeth's dark eyes looked up at her sympathetically.

"Olivia Murphy?"

Liv turned around to see the person she was waiting for- Jeremiah Cavendish with a smile brighter than Elspeth's.

"Cavendish." Liv grinned, glad her vigil was over.

"Jeremy, please." He reached out to shake her hand.

"Jeremy." She felt herself relax. "Liv. And this is Ophelia Lewis."

"Elfie." The blue-haired woman waved.

"Oh wow! I- I read your paper about the implications of transfiguration on the atomic level." He looked so excited, a flush appearing on his ears and cheeks. "I especially like how you spoke on now that technology has advanced, we can study magic and its effects through a new lense."

He suddenly pushed his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself while looking embarrassed. Liv looked around and saw people staring.

"Is there a place we can talk privately?" She asked quietly. Jeremy nodded and lead them down a hallway to more cubicles. He stopped in front of one desk that was covered in books, parchment, and empty food wrappers.

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone really." He said sheepishly as he hurried to clean up.

Liv picked up one of the books, drawn by its glossy cover. "'Inside the Minds of Serial Killers: Why They Kill.' You're studying Criminal Psychology?"

If Jeremy looked embarrassed before, he looked mortified now. "I-I-I-" He took a deep breath. "It's kind of a lifelong pursuit of mine." He lowered his voice. "I'm working on a degree at Winchester."

"The Wizarding World _**is**_ behind on psychology." Elfie pointed out. "There is no shame in learning."

Jeremy brightened before gesturing to his chair. "Give me one sec, I'll grab another." He ducked back into his neighbor's cubicle and came back with his chair. "What did you want to talk about? Oh, er, did you want some tea?"

Elfie took a chair while Liv answered. "We probably won't be here long enough to warrant that." She ignored how he seemed to deflate.

"Oh?"

"I'm afraid this is a business call. We were wondering if you could help us with something." Liv took the other seat and Jeremy leaned against the wall as much as he could without breaking it. He seemed to have had practice.

"I'd be happy to help, but I'm not sure how."

"We need any notes for the Watchwizard in charge of patrolling the DoM on May 13 and 14 of 1998."

Jeremy frowned. "That's an odd request."

"Sorry, we can't tell you too much about an active investigation." Liv said, a little embarrassed.

"No, no. I get it. Why did you not request through the normal channels, if you don't mind my asking?" He held up a hand to show he wasn't angry.

"We did and we received the official file."

Jeremy nodded, understanding. "You want the 'unofficial file,' right?"

"Right." Liv answered with a smile, glad he was so agreeable.

"I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Liv was feeling pretty good about the investigation. Sure, it was of a theft over nine years ago and the items themselves were gruesome, but they weren't coming up against unscalable walls like in other investigations. They had someone willing to cooperate in the DoM and with the Watchwizards. They'd made more out of less.

_Vega and Roni should be back, if not now, then soon. Then they could have lunch and go over everything. Not a bad start to a day, all things considered. _

Liv's warm feelings lasted even as Potter stepped on the elevator, note in hand with Minister Kingsley right behind him. Potter saw Liv and Elfie and smiled tightly. "Were you also called?"

The taller woman blinked at Potter before snapping her head to Elfie. The blue-haired woman also looked confused and a little alarmed. Liv turned cold.

"Called? By Whom?"

* * *

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	8. Chapter 8: Child of Wrath

It's on time for once!

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Chapter 8

**Child of Wrath**

"What do you think you're doing?" Rothschild hardly ever spoke with an 'inside voice.' His face looked red. Vega couldn't remember a time when it wasn't but that vein popping out was new.

_Well, right now I'm being screamed at._ Vega knew Rothschild wouldn't appreciate that answer. However, she didn't care for the man so she wasn't going to make it easy for him on principle. "Sir?" She asked, as sweetly as possible.

He snarled, rounding his desk. So far, she hadn't aggravated him enough for him to actually attack her, unfortunately.

"Your little group of misfits are supposed to catch Death Eaters, not open cold cases." He threw a folder at her, purposely missing. Probably wanting to see her startle.

Having been punished with the Cruciatus Curse as a child by Death Eaters, a folder flying to the side of her barely registered as an _annoyance_.

"Just trying to be thorough, Sir." Vega answered as breezily as possible.

"Your department is a money sinkhole and now you want to do another department's job?"

"No sir, I just want to do my job. Sir." She batted her eyelashes at him and another vein popped.

"You Pure-bloods think you can do whatever you want, don't you?" Vega had wondered when he'd get to her blood status.

"Of course not, Sir." Thought trial and error, Vega knew going into detail about how wrong he was would cause him to get louder to talk over her. And her ears didn't need that.

Instead, Rothschild prowled his meticulous office. For someone who hated Pure-bloods, he had a lot of their habits, like employing House Elves to clean up after him. She stayed at attention as he paced, mostly because he refused to have extra chairs in his office. According to office gossip, he moved them out to discourage loitering. He wanted people in and out as quickly as possible.

Unless you were a Pure-blood, or a foreigner, or cursed, or a "misfit" in his words. Then they stayed to get screamed at and demeaned.

Vega had been told by people who knew he did this that he just wanted to see her cry and if she just shed a drop or two, even crocodile tears, he'd never call her into his office again.

"But then who'd he pick on?" She'd asked them. They looked uncomfortable and then looked at her.

She wouldn't cry for him. If not because she had a habit of not doing what bullies wanted, then for her team of 'misfits.'

Rothschild crossed over to the otherside of his desk and leaned across it to snarl in her face. "Who ordered you to reopen this case?"

_Ahh_, she thought. _Now we get to it._ If Potter and Minister Shacklebolt didn't tell him about the case, she wasn't going to.

She let her surprise show. "Ordered, Sir?"

He slammed his fist down on the desk, shaking it and the windows. "Yes, ordered. Don't play dumb with me." Spittle flew across the desk but it didn't have enough force to get to her. "If it wasn't for Sainted Potter-"

"What about me?" Potter said from the open doorway, the Minister and the rest of Vega's team behind him.

Vega felt her neck heat up, a product of her extreme embarrassment. "Sirs." She said to Potter and the Minister.

"Miss Black." Minster Shacklebolt greeted.

"Shacklebolt, what are you doing here?" Rothschild snarled. Shacklebolt was his underling until Shacklebolt suddenly became the Minister, passing over Rothschild. The red-faced man never got over it.

"It sounds like you were yelling at Miss Black for reopening a case. The same case I told you to look more into when it was open _the first time_." Minister Shacklebolt answered evenly.

Vega gave him a side glance. Minister Shacklebolt was a man who never raised his voice, although he now seemed to be very close to it..

A third vein popped in Rothschild's neck as the two stared each other down. Minister Shacklebolt tilted his head back slightly and looked down at Rothschild.

"Potter, please take Miss Black and her team to be debriefed." The Minister ordered while maintaining eye contact with Rothschild.

"Of course. And Rothschild," The older man grunted but didn't look at Potter. "Next time you have a problem with one of my people, _you talk to __**me**_." Potter jerked his head at Vega and backed out of the office.

Vega followed without looking at Rothschild. It was hard, like forcing oneself to not look at a basilisk while being hyper aware of its presence.

Potter led them through the cubicle maze back to his office, then held open the door for them. Roni was first through the door, sensing no danger. Elfie flounced in after with Liv behind, glancing back at Vega. With a breath, Vega encroached on Potter's territory the second time in less than twenty-four hours, closing the door behind her.

"I won't hold you. Got any leads?" Potter asked, sliding into his chair.

"Not at this time, Sir." Vega answered with a quick glance at the others.

"Okay, off to it then." He pointed a quill at the door.

Roni's shoulder rose and fell in a quick and soundless laugh before bounding out of the office. Elfie looked around, a little confused before making her way out with Liv, who seemed relieved.

"A moment, Black."

Vega was a step away from freedom but she signed and shut the door. "Sir?"

Potter opened his mouth, then appeared to rethink what he was going to say. He considered a moment more then sighed. "You work for me. If Rothschild has a problem with you, direct him to me. I'm sure you can understand that punishing my subordinates for me is a power play."

Once it was pointed out to her, yes. It made it look like Potter needed extra assistance to keep control of his people. Vega nodded to him.

"Good. You're dismissed."

* * *

Vega breezed past the others and stormed, quietly, to her chair. She took a breath, straightening the typewriter even though it was perfectly aligned in the center.

She paused, staring at it. She remembered she moved it when Roni dumped the contents of Arthur's box on the table. Then she had to follow Rothschild. Now it was sitting perfectly in the middle of the table, not in the way but within reach. Just how she liked it.

Vega looked up and saw Roni leaning back in her chair, her feet on the desk. When Roni saw her looking, the shorter woman grinned.

"I think that went well, considering." Liv appeared with a tea kettle.

"You think everything goes well, all considering." Roni said, flippantly. "Though, at this point if you said it wasn't going well, I'd know we were probably about to die."

"Just trying to keep a positive outlook on life." Liv slid into her seat next to Roni, summoned tea cups and started pouring. "But I think we all had a bad morning."

Vega raised her eyebrows at that before looking up at the filing cabinets. When she didn't see who she was looking for, she looked under the table. Elfie was sitting on the floor, plinking away on her laptop. She glanced up at Vega and the grey-haired woman could see the strain around her eyes.

"If you need to, you can go home." Vega offered but Elfie shook her head.

"I'm okay."

"Let me or Liv know if that changes."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Roni mutter under her breath but Vega could hear her through the table.

"I don't know what that means-"

"I swear I have _heard _you say that-"

Vega sat back up and continued over Roni. "But I know you. You're like a bloodhound with a scent. Wild horses, ect, ect. You know what I mean."

Roni grumbled something under her breath that sounded like, "it's not hard to take someone home."

_No, it's just easier to ask Liv or do it myself._ Vega thought, but the exchange, the assigning of tasks, and checking with her people settled her. She took a breath and started sipping her tea.

"Okay, Liv could you tell me about your morning while we eat lunch?"

* * *

Mimsy had packed their lunches- Indian Curry. Vega wouldn't let Roni catch her eye and be smug. The grey-haired woman was struggling with the "medium spice level" that Roni was powering through. As a child, Vega's family ate English or French dishes. Scottish was pushing it.

Liv had finished with her run down and was quietly eating her own twice as spicy curry- the second spiciest, with Elfie taking first place. The blue-nette cited her time living in India as the reason she could handle the intense level of spice that could make everyone else's eyes water at a distance. Vega was pretty sure Liv left something out of the interview with Ms. Longbottom but decided to wait until tonight to talk her about it. She trusted Liv to tell them everything important.

Vega scooped the last traces of her curry with her naan bread before leaning back in her chair. "I think your morning was a lot more productive than ours. We went looking for files and ultimately turned up empty."

"Not completely." Roni chewed through her words.

Vega snapped her head to Roni. "Know something I don't?"

"Enough to fill an Encyclopedia Britannica."

"I'm sure that would be a witty response, if I knew what that meant."

"Its a general knowledge and the oldest English-language encyclopaedia." Elfie chimed in from under the table. "It's full of muggle information." She poked her head out, a good sign. "Can we make room for it in our library?"

"How big is it?"

"32 books."

Vega leaned back in her chair. "32?!"

"General knowledge. Over 65,000 articles."

Liv whistled.

"I don't see why not." Vega answered Elfie before turning to Roni. "What do you know about the case that I don't know?"

She could see the wheels turning in Roni's head as the shorter woman considered another scathling reply.

Liv saved them. The tallest of their group tilted her head and smiled. It was a smile with an edge, something that the grey-haired woman had never seen in all the years she had known the ex-Hufflepuff, even when the Slytherin was being a jerk to her. It sent a chill down Vega's spine. And now Vega _knew _Liv left something out of her retelling of the morning.

_I trust Liv not to leave out something important,_ she told herself, squashing down the urge to demand Liv tell her here and now. _Trusting Liv has turned out well so far._

Roni shot Vega an alarmed look before answering. "There was a key in the box. I have it here," she pulled it out and handed it to Vega. It was heavy in her hand, brass, engraved and familiar.

"Ah, it's a Gringotts' key."

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9: A Trip to St Mungo's

Two updates on time!

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Chapter 9

**A Trip to St. Mungo's**

Elfie was not fan of St. Mungo's. _To be fair, none of them really were except Liv,_ she thought as they entered the rundown department store hiding the hospital.

She briefly started to review the spells that shielded the hospital from Muggle eyes as a way to distract her from the hustle and bustle of the reception area. It was far too loud with strange noises and too many people. She could already tell she was going to get bumped by people and slouched into herself more.

Then she saw Liv straighten. Outside of the house, Liv was always trying to keep herself compact, to not be seen. Now she expanded outwards, like a queen rising from her throne. Patients and Healers, differentiated by their lime green robes, made a path for her and Elfie had to hurry to keep up with Liv's suddenly confident stride. Even the people in the line stepped back for her.

The Welcome Witch looked up as they approached and broke out in a broad grin. She was a plump witch, with a full head of grey hair. Elfie's eyes wandered to the notices and posters on the wall behind her but her view was suddenly blocked when the witch stood up to hug Liv from across the desk.

"Olivia! It's so good to see you! How have you been?"

"I've been really well actually. I'd love to see you on your next break and catch up. At the moment I'm afraid I'm busy." Liv leaned over the desk and flashed her badge. "Ministry business. Could you point me to Rookwood's room and inform the Healer-in-charge that I'll need to speak to them?"

"Of course, of course." The Welcome Witch said brightly, looking through her book. "He's on the fourth floor, room twelve. The Healer-in-Charge is Agatha Grumbole. I'll give her a page for you and she'll meet you there."

"Thanks Nimmy." Liv said, waving as she turned to go, Elfie right behind her.

"Don't be a stranger Olivia!" Nimmy called after them.

On the way to the way to the fourth floor, they got stopped three more times by either Healers or Healers-in-training, all wanting to know how Liv was doing and if she'd have time later to talk. Liv would disengage with a smile and promise to try.

Elfie told herself she wasn't jealous but she knew exactly what that sour feeling in her stomach was. The truth was simple: Liv was good with people and Elfie just wasn't.

She fell a little behind when they were stopped on the stairs by another witch in lime green. They chatted a bit while the feeling of being misplaced grew in Elfie. Finally Liv brought the conversation to a close and the healer moved down a floor, passing Elfie without a glance.

Elfie wished she could shrink.

"You feeling okay?" Liv asked her.

Elfie nodded, even though she felt… fragile. She could stick it out a little while longer.

"Okay." Liv said softly, coming down to her. "Let's do this quickly and go home."

Liv held out her hand. Elfie, feeling a little self conscious and so very relieved, took it. She felt a little less lost now.

"Why'd you leave?" The question was out before Elfie realized she had it. When Liv looked at her, confused, Elfie hurried on. "Everyone seems to like you here."

Liv didn't answer right away. She continued to lead Elfie but it was when they were passing rooms with patients in them that Elfie realized something was wrong. Liv's grip on her hand was too tight when usually her hands were gentle.

"I..." Liv stopped and looked in the room closest to them. Inside was a woman about their age with a wooden arm right up to her elbow. A group of people surrounded her, looking sad while she smiled without warmth. "I can't fix everyone. But I can try and make sure if doesn't happen again."

Elfie nodded in understanding. Liv turned to lead them the rest of the way to Rookwood's room. Outside was a matronly looking woman with completely white hair but less wrinkles than Elflie thought she should have.

_Maybe she dyed it white?_

"Olivia Murphy, I presume? Your reputation precedes you. Everyone still talks about how you saved that splinched girl during your first month. I'm sorry I wasn't there to see it. I'm Agatha Grumbol, the Healer-in-Charge of this floor."

"That was really just luck on my part. I just remembered something that happened when I was in school." Liv shook her hand through Agatha's flinch.

Their class had seen a lot of unpleasant things at school.

"Why is there no guard for Rookwood?" Liv asked as Agatha unlocked the door.

"It's not necessary." Agatha opened the door revealing the sole occupant.

Rookwood looked up from where he sat on the bed and smiled. "Aggie." He slurred.

Liv froze. Elfie, behind her, felt her own body seize up as her mind ran through the injuries she could see. Roni would charitably call him "Crispy." Most of his body was wrapped in bandages and some of them were peeling off.

"Augustus. Picking off your bandages again?" Agatha slid into the room with a smile, making a beeline to the bed.

"Itches."

"I know dear. I know. But picking on them only makes it worse. You know that." Agatha pushed over a cart with fresh bandages. "Let's take care of your arms, shall we?"

Rookwood held up his arms and Liv gasped. Elfie's stomach dropped as she realized why there wasn't a guard.

His bandages went down his arms and stopped at stumps.

Augustus Rookwood had lost his hands.

* * *

Elfie pulled up a chair and sat in the hallway outside while Liv helped change Rookwood's bandages. She reviewed the hospital's report on Rookwood but other than the vague sense she was missing something, there didn't seem to be anything unexpected. After losing that to focus on, she counted prime numbers while trying to silence the little voice in her head.

_How do you think you could help anyone if you can't even stand to be in the same room with a patient?_

_211, 223, 227, 233. Wait, that wasn't right. 229, 233._

The door opened, revealing Liv and Agatha. Liv stepped out while Agatha said her goodbyes.

"Poor dear." Agatha closed the door. "You know what caused this?"

The report had the official cause, but they were starting over so Elfie shook her head. "Do you know?"

Agatha seemed surprised that Elfie had spoken but answered. "They were fighting in a Muggle residential area when some dark spell hit a car and it exploded. Augustus took the worst of it. Can't remember before that day, even had to relearn how to speak, and his burn wounds won't heal because of the magic."

Elfie would feel bad for him is she didn't have a very clear memory of Ms. Longbottom crying. She had thought the hard, older woman emotionless before that moment.

A thought occurred to her. She almost tucked it away because it was the kind of thought that got her kicked out of the Unspeakables.

But Liv would listen.

"So he received a head injury during the explosion resulting in his amnesia?" Elfie asked them.

Agatha frowned at her but Liv smiled brightly.

"You have an idea?"

"Yes. We could get an MRI of his brain and _see _what is damaged."

Elfie knew it would be difficult to get Agatha to agree since... complementary medicine was not always smiled upon. Because of the law that forbade enchanting non-magical items, most wizards and witches looked down on them. Which lead to there being no interest in seeing if Muggle technology could help solve Wizard problems.

But Liv championed the idea. Her older brother was a neurosurgeon in Canada who worked with the magical community there. By looking at what was damaged by, say a Cruciatus Curse, they were able to speed along the recovery of their patients.

Agatha, to her credit, listened to what must have been an insane idea on her part. LOOKING INSIDE A PATIENT'S HEAD? She nodded through the explanation, her eyebrows climbing higher and higher on her forehead. At the end, she hesitated before answering and they gave her time to process it.

"I need to speak with my superiors. I'll be right back." Agatha hurried down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.

"So." Liv turned to Elfie as soon as Agatha was out of sight. "Once they agree, how do we get him," she pointed at door twelve. "To an MRI machine?"

Elfie grinned. "Very carefully. But seriously, if we go to the hospital near the house, we only need to obliviate three Muggles at most and I can read the machine."

"How- how do you know that?"

"I was curious as to how the machine worked. I mean, I could read about it but I…" Elfie hesitated.

"Did you scan your own head?"

"Yes. Because, why not?"

And, because it was Liv, she smiled. "Can I see it?"

"Yeah, I've got it at home."

Agatha came back with a frown on her face. "I'm sorry, while it's an interesting idea, they would like to do an independent study on that before putting a patient through it."

"I understand." Liv said quickly. "Would you like my brother's contact information?"

"I suppose."

Elfie frowned. The Wizarding World could be so judgmental against non-magical things. Or non-magical people. She was almost certain that the moment Agatha's superiors found out that Liv's brother was a squib, they'd lose all interest in what he had to say.

"Could we take a copy of his medical report?" Liv asked after writing down her brother's mailing address.

"Sure, I'll get you a copy."

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10: A Riddle in the Dark

Chapter 10

**A Riddle in the Dark**

Roni silently cursed Vega's longer legs. At least Elfie and Liv waited for her. But nooo, Miss-I-Wait-For-No-One was in a foul mood, hurrying up the snow-white marble steps of Gringotts like the boss had refused overtime pay.

Vega did pause at the top and look down at her like Roni was being _slow_.

"Quiet you." Roni snapped when she reached the top.

She felt more than saw Vega shrug at that and then stride through the doors like she owned the place. Roni lengthened her stride and was able to keep up as Vega stormed up to the Head Goblin's podium.

"Afternoon." Vega said to get his attention. The old, short creature glared down at them over his glasses as he stopped writing in the heavy leather bound book in front of him.

"Yes?"

"I would like to open a vault." She paused, "Gretchel."

The goblin blinked and seemed to… soften? Roni thought that a goblin's natural state was scowling but 'Gretchel' actually stopped.

"Ah, Miss Black. Do you have your key?"

"I'm terribly sorry, but I need to open someone else's vault."

All the hairs on the back of Roni's neck stood up. The lobby was suddenly quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Roni turned her head and saw all the goblins and some wizards looking at them. Her heart thundered in her chest. _Vega, you fucked up._

"Indeed?" Gretchel sounded sinister.

Roni reached out to take Vega's arm to lead her away.

"Yes. The original owner has passed. We believe the vault may hold information pertinent to an active Auror investigation." Vega said smoothly, like she asked a Goblin to open up another person's vault everyday. Roni held her breath as Gretchel stared down at them.

"And you currently have the key?" He asked.

"Yes. His ex-wife gave it to us." Vega, very slowly, pulled the key out of her outside pocket and placed it in front of Gretchel, on top of his book. She had to strain to reach but she didn't show it.

Gretchel picked it up in his long, spindly fingers, turning it once before declaring, "Ah."

Conversation started up again around them. The tension in the room dissipated so quickly Roni almost felt dizzy with relief.

"This is Arthur Prickwillow's key. He left instructions that his vault could be opened by outsider under very specific conditions." He pulled away from the podium and stepped down to ground level. "Come with me."

Vega looked over her shoulder to Roni and Roni nodded to her, trying to hide her shaking hands.

_And you say I play fast and loose_. Sometimes Roni wished Vega had learned or wanted to learn Legilimency so she could yell at Vega without speaking. _Then again, she'd have to read my mind for me to yell at her._

They followed Gretchel to the cart and stepped into it. He didn't take them very deep down but Roni was a little alarmed at what she saw when they stopped.

The creature had the head of a beautiful woman and a giant lion's body. The Sphinx stretched, golden fur rippling over powerful muscles and she yawned widely, revealing sharp teeth of a predator.

"Berenike guards this row of vaults." Gretchel said with a smile. It wasn't a kind one.

Vega nodded but even in the dim light, Roni could see she was a shade paler. Not that Roni was doing much better- her hands were still shaking.

The taller woman stepped out first. The sphinx smiled and prowled closer, sniffing.

"Mmm." Berenike's noise made Roni's face hot. "A proper Pure-blood. You'll taste so sweet."

Which was the worst thing to say to Vega if you want her intimidated. While Vega always stood straight she pulled her shoulders back and tilted her head to look down at the sphinx.

"Oh!" Berenike laughed. "You have spine. I like you."

"Your riddle Berenike."

"Fine:

"I am the fountain from which no one can drink.

For many I am considered a necessary link.

Like gold to all I am sought for,

But my continued death brings wealth for all to want more."

"Ha!" Roni grinned. That riddle was perfect to use against a Pure-blood like Vega. She'd never get it. "Oil."

Berenike deflated, scowling at Roni from where she was partially hidden by Vega. "Werewolf. Ugg."

Roni showed her teeth. "Gotta protect my pack. You understand."

Berenike pursed her lips, rolled her shoulders and stalked off, putting on an affect of uncaring.

"I like her." Roni added, stepping out of the cart.

Gretchel huffed a laugh before stepping out himself and approaching vault 324. The key in his hand slid into the lock with no effort and the heavy iron door swung open.

A light seemed to come down from the ceiling to illuminate the object in the middle of the chamber. It was a pedestal with a metal basin placed on top of it.

"Please tell me that's a Pensieve." Roni stepped into the vault. Vega was a step behind her for a change, and when Roni turned back she saw Vega looking at a cabinet in the shadows. "Memories?"

Vega tapped her wand against the wood twice, mostly likely checking for traps, before pulling it open. Inside were tiny-glass jars, labeled with numbers.

"Oh, my god. Are those case numbers?" Roni was near trembling with excitement, her skin itching with it.

"Thank you Gretchel. We'll take it from here." Vega called out to the goblin. "We don't want to keep you waiting."

"I'll send a cart back. Berenike will eat you if you try to open a vault that isn't yours." Gretchel called out before urging the cart into motion.

Roni saw that Vega was waiting for him to go, so she slid up to her once the sound of the cart had faded. "What's up?"

"You didn't take your medicine at lunch, did you?" Vega murmured, not turning to Roni.

"I don't need it. I'm fine."

Vega whipped around and grabbed Roni's wrist to hold up her hand. Her hand was shaking.

"I'm excited."

"You were shaking when I was talking to Gretchel."

"You pissed off _all the Goblins!_ I was scar-" Even as she said it, Roni knew it was a lie. Roni rarely was frightened and never shook when she was. And Vega, who could time her escape to coincide with Roni's, knew that. "I don't like it."

But Vega knew that too.

"I can't have your hand shaking if there is a fight." Vega said evenly, pulling out a bottle from her jacket. Because, of course, she'd have a dose of the brunette's medicine with her.

Roni knew she was right. She snatched the bottle from Vega's hand and downed the brownish liquid within.

It didn't taste awful- in fact, it tasted like the leftover milk in a bowl of sugary cereal. Liv's family had been making potions for centuries and she knew her craft well. It took affect almost instantly, the pain from her scars fading, her body untensing from the sudden relief. For one blessed moment Roni felt perfect, whole.

Then the buzzing sensation started. After several years they had gone through thousands of potions to relieve the pain Roni felt everyday since she was bitten. This version's only side effect was the buzzing- a tingling sensation at the base of her skull that made her think of bees trapped in a jar.

She'd eventually ignore it, but she hated the feeling. It was always worse right after she took her medicine. Roni gritted her teeth against the buzz before lifting up her hand to show it wasn't shaking anymore.

"Happy?" She asked Vega with a scowl.

The grey-haired women shrugged before sighing. "That was good. _You _did good. I would never have gotten the answer to the riddle. You are an important part of this team."

Roni felt warm all over. And a little uncomfortable with Vega's praise. She was far more comfortable with bickering with her one-time rival. "Did- Did it physically hurt you to say that?"

Vega held up her thumb and forefinger a centimeter from each other. "A little, but I'll live."

Roni huffed and turned her attention back to the bottles. "The case was number 42339, right?"

"Right." Vega pulled a bottle from a shelf to look behind it. "Not to complain but I wished he had put these in order."

"Maybe they were for him." Roni pulled out a bottle and found the one behind it had '42339.' "Bingo." She snatched it up and stepped back. "Fancy a trip down memory lane?"

Vega rolled her eyes as Roni dumped the silvery thread into the bowl. "After you."

Roni shoved her face in and felt herself begin to fall.

It was always weird, looking through someone else's memories. Vega had invested in a stone Pensieve with semi-precious gems in it for when the team had a hard time remembering the order of events in high stress moments. Occasionally they'd look at each other's memories if they were stuck on something.

Arthur Prickwillow, bless him, had bought one for a similar purpose and left it for anyone coming after to find. The memory started with Arthur speaking to a Watchwizard. Arthur was robed in black with brown hair and a handlebar mustache. He looked painfully young and Roni felt her heart squeeze as the realization that this man was dead.

_He doesn't look much older than us._ She thought.

Vega landed next to her in the memory and they took positions around him as he interviewed. He was in a white tilted room Roni had never seen before.

Arthur was thorough and a good detective. He spoke to the Watchwizard, who assured him that he didn't see anything, that the items were there when he went through before locking the DoM down.

Next, Arthur pulled in Mervyn Cecil, the Head of the Department. The older, balding man with huge glasses carefully explained to him that there was no way that it had been stolen after the Watchwizard locked up for the night. The Anti-Disapparation Jinx made any other entry impossible.

"So, one of your people must have taken it?" Arthur asked Mervyn.

"Bah. Impossible." Mervyn retorted, partially turning away from the Auror and crossing his arms. "It must have been the Watchwizard. I never really trusted that department, to be honest. None of them take pride in their job, if you know what I mean."

Arthur also spoke to Mervyn's assistant, Prudence Longbottom, a woman with precisely curled blonde hair, perfect eyeliner, and bright red lipstick.

"Why were you in the Chamber of Death?"

Prudence sighed heavily, back straight in her chair, hands clasped tightly together. "I'd rather not say."

"I'm afraid you will have to."

"I wanted to say goodbye."

"'Goodbye?'"

"Yes. The people who died to create those- We still aren't 100% sure as to what happens during the process, but there is a theory that a part of the people who died... _lingers_. Once the items were destroyed, that tether _should be_ cut. Or, that's the theory anyway." She paused before turning to look Arthur in the eye and soberly asked, "I'd appreciate it if you don't tell anyone my reasons for being there. It's an outlandish theory anyway and really only for my own peace of mind." Prudence sounded like she was trying to convince herself of that last part more than Arthur.

Nothing stood out to him and nothing stood out to them, nine years later.

Instead of ending there, the memory cut to Arthur coming to his desk at the start of the day and finding a note. He carefully opened it and saw in tidy writing, "Rookwood at 70 Guild St."

The memory sped through him telling Terrence Wilkins about the tip and assembling more Aurors to catch the Death Eater.

They apparated to a street away from their target as a group and went down the checklist. They secured the perimeter and received a message that the _Anti-Disapparation Jinx_ to keep Rookwood from fleeing was finished. The Aurors did everything by the book and turned the street corner.

There was Augustus Rookwood, a tall, pock-marked and greying man, standing in the middle of the street with a car between him and the Aurors. He looked vaguely surprised when the Aurors showed up but not afraid. He lifted his arm and-

The world exploded in fire and shrapnel. People were screaming and cooking around her. _The_ _**fire**_ _was licking at her clothes._

A hand wrapped around her upper arm and yanked her backward. She gasped as though pulled out of water. Vega was there, her face hard. "Remember, it's just a memory. Nothing in here can hurt you."

"Yeah, yeah." Roni tried to brush off her initial reaction.

The memory went on, going through how they put out the fire and captured the still smoldering Rookwood. Normally that signaled the end of the memory but Arthur reappeared, speaking to a tall, lanking man- Wilkenson.

"Wilkenson, I'm sure I'm missing something. We didn't find the items."

"They were probably burned in the fire. Rothschild wants us to put it to bed Prickwillow."

The mist returned and Roni felt the push as the memory finally ended.

* * *

"Rookwood lost both hands in the explosion and his memory. The staff at St. Mungo's believe he'll never recover." Liv told them after they ate dinner. The former Hufflepuff seemed subdued and hardly touched the stew Mimsy made for them.

Elfie had a thousand yard stare but that wasn't unusual for her. She always seemed to be pulling apart one puzzle or another.

"Thank you Liv." Vega said, also looking pensive. She tapped the end of her pen against her notebook in thought before sighing. "We know where Rookwood was apprehended now and can check the area for any wizards that may have been there nine years ago. Any other ideas?"

"Ah." Elfie said, pulling forward the medical report on Rookwood. "Something about this bothered me."

Liv took it from her and scanned it carefully. "Knowing you, it would have to be some small detail."

Roni snorted. "Like a misspelling or a comma in the wrong place."

Vega groaned. "It's an official report. They better cross their 't's and dot their 'i's."

"They may be too preoccupied with saving someone's life to adhere to your grammatical rules, Vega." Roni pointed out.

Liv straightened in her chair, then grabbed the copy of Rookwood's Ministry of Magic Identity card. She looked between the two like she couldn't understand what she was seeing.

Elfie leaned over Liv's shoulder and her eye widened.

"Care to clue us in?" Roni said, nearly bouncing out of her chair.

"His ID says he's 190.5cm. His medical record says he's 185.42cm." Liv said in a strained hush.

"Could the hospital made a mistake?" Vega got up from her chair to look over Liv's other shoulder.

"Could the Ministry have?"

"Not likely. Not by 5cm." Vega pointed at the ID card. "All ID cards have our right hand finger prints." She paused, considering.

"The explosion." Roni added. "All the Auror's were on one side, they couldn't see anything. It would be really easy to do a switch- They were sent a message that the Jinx was up. That could have come from anyone if Rookwood was _expecting _ _Aurors_. They would have moved too soon."

Vega nodded.

"It would be close and require excellent timing on his part but he _was _an Unspeakable. As of this moment, we're going to treat this case as if Rookwood is still on the loose.

"Because he probably is."


	11. Chapter 11: A Terrible Truth

Sorry its late!

* * *

Chapter 11

**A Terrible Truth**

Vega immediately left the library with the copy of the hospital report and Rookwood's ID. "Go back to the hospital, find whatever we can use to identify the person there as Rookwood." She called out before heading to the fireplace.

Roni ran to catch up to her. "How bad do you think this is?"

"On a scale of one to ten, at least an eight. We have a possible Death Eater no one has been looking for for the past nine years. Who knows what he's done since he was 'apprehended.'"

Roni grunted in agreement while Vega stepped into the fireplace with a handful of Floo powder. "Ministry of Magic." She called out before flinging down the dust and being engulfed in flames.

She stepped out into the Ministry's Atrium and hurried to the elevator, her heels making a rhythmic 'click, clack' as she power-walked. Wizards and witches were on their way home but they took one look at her face and dove out of the way.

"Oh, Auror Black." A voice called out as she passed the Watchwizard's desk.

Vega whirled to look at the speaker and Jeremy jumped back in alarm.

"I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" He asked nervously.

She blinked, recalling that Liv said something about asking him for help on the case. She also remembered the Watchwizard on duty's initial interview with Auror Prickwillow. He seemed certain he didn't know anything and Prickwillow believed him at the time. Vega believed him now too.

But Jeremy was so eager to help and Vega had a soft spot for genuinely kind people. She glanced behind him and was relieved to see that someone else was at the Watchwizard's desk.

"Can you walk and talk with me?" She asked him.

Jeremy nodded and followed her to the elevator. As they waited, he cast a charm in a circle around them before Vega spoke quietly to him.

"I heard Liv and Elfie asked for your help in a possible 'unofficial' report from the Watchwizard on duty."

He nodded again. "There isn't an unofficial report. But when I asked him about it, he remembered a noise in the Brain Room."

She frowned. "Why didn't he say anything before?"

"He thought it came from one of the containers. It wasn't until I asked him that he realized it couldn't have- it came from the Speaking Room."

"Could someone have waited in there? Did he check?"

"Not unless they apparated in. Which wasn't possible after Potter's fight in the Chamber of Death. Everyone who came in that day left before his checks. So he didn't check the room itself. It had just been installed- it wasn't even a week and its existence is still pretty hush-hush."

The elevator arrived and they stepped in silently.

"Would one of the Death Eaters known about its creation?" She asked after he tapped his wand against the wall to cast the Imperturbable Charm on it. She appreciated how careful he was being.

Jeremy frowned. "Is that what you think happened to the items?"

Vega gave him a look that said "Are you really asking me this?"

"Well, it was put in place in response to the quick-fix Unbreakable Vow the Unspeakables had to swear. They didn't make the quick-fix until after Voldemort's defeat."

She had to reassess him at that. Nine years after his true death and most wizards and witches still preferred to call Voldemort 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.' Even some of the veterans of the Battle of Hogwarts hesitated to use it.

"Anything else stick out to him?"

"There were members of the DoM that disagreed with the Minister's decision to-."

The elevator opened to the second floor, breaking the Imperturbable Charm and revealing Harry Potter himself.

Jeremy made a choking sound next to her so she turned to him. "Thank you for all that information. I really appreciated it."

He nodded numbly as she turned her attention to Potter. The Deputy was about to put his foot inside the elevator when Vega reached out and pushed him back. "Nope."

He blinked green eyes at her. "Ginny is expecting me at home."

"I'm sure she is." Vega stepped out of the elevator, pushing him backward gently. "But we need to talk. Now."

Potter raised his eyebrows in surprise but spun around to hurry back to his office. As soon as they were both inside, he cast the Imperturbable Charm on the door. "What is it?"

"It's more than likely that the person in St. Mungo's that we identified as Rookwood is someone else."

"_What?!_"

Vega got him up to speed on finding Arthur's Pensieve, the memory of the case, how it would have been easy to switch Rookwood out in the confusion and that the person in the hospital was very difficult to identify. "Do we have any of his DNA or other way to identify him other than fingerprints?"

Potter rubbed his temples. During her explanation he had dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands. Now he looked up at her, his eyes sharp. "I'd have to check with the DoM. If you're right, this is a disaster, if you're wrong, we'll have started a ruckus for nothing."

"I'd rather we started a ruckus for nothing than find out that we have a Death Eater on the loose after they killed someone."

Potter held up his hand. "I'm agreeing with you. Just tread carefully. We have the Minister in our corner but if the public believes he's not keeping them safe, we'll have to work with a new one."

Vega nodded. "I understand. We'll be discreet."

Someone knocked on the door. Potter opened the blinds to see Roni waving at them. "Special delivery." She said, holding a paper bag.

* * *

Liv watched people practically throw themselves out of the way as Roni stomped through the crowd in the reception area of St. Mungo's. She always thought they cleared out of the area pretty quick when she put on her 'Healer' face.

Then again, Roni had to try harder to be seen since she was… shorter than average. Once it had become clear that she wasn't going to catch up to all the other kids as school, the Gryffindor had set about making sure she was heard when she needed to be. Liv and Elife hurried after her and Liv threw an apologetic smile to Nancy, the current Welcome Witch, as they passed.

No one waylaid them as they went, most didn't even notice Liv behind the almost running Auror ahead of her. Roni practically burst through the door of room twelve.

"Yo." The brunette called out to the patient.

The man jumped, startled.

"Roni," Liv felt bad for the poor man. If he wasn't Rookwood, he had been lost for nine years without his family and friends knowing what happened to him. "I'm sorry… Sir." She turned to the other two and whispered. "What should we call him?"

"Bob." Roni declared before turning to him. "So, Bob, we need your help."

Bob shook his head. "Augustus Rookwood." It clearly took effort for him to say it.

"Do you remember being called Augustus before being in the Hospital?" Liv asked him gently.

Bob shook his head. "D-don't... remember… anything."

"Do you mind if I try something to unbury your memories?" Elfie spoke up. Everyone looked at her and she shrank a little under the attention but she continued. "Cognitive Interviews have been shown to enhance memory without making inaccurate accounts."

"Making inaccurate accounts?" Roni asked.

"Sometimes if you tell someone with enough conviction something happened, they'll remember it." Liv offered.

Elfie nodded. "There's also the misinformation effect where information given later affects an earlier memory."

"Hmm. I knew the brain was weird." Roni smirked. "I'll grab some DNA and run it to Vega. You guys do the interview."

Elfie slipped on gloves before pulling out a q-tip with a plastic cap on it. "Say 'Ahhh.'" She directed Bob.

"Ahhh."

Elfie swiped the inside of his cheek before popping the cap on the end of the q-tip and putting it in a plastic bag for Roni.

"Oh, wait." Liv didn't like the idea of Roni running around with the clear bag. She stepped out of the room and jogged over to the break area.

She was in luck. A Healer-in-training was just balling up the paper bag their lunch came in. Liv had been afraid she'd have to go through the trash. "Can I have that bag, please?"

The trainee was confused but handed it over without comment. Liv hurried back and saw Roni out the room. The shorter woman approached with a finger to her lips.

"Elfie started the interview. She said it could take awhile and to try not to distract Bob." She smiled ruefully. "I'm kind of distracting without trying so I stepped out. That for me?"

Liv handed over the bag. "Make sure the evidence bag is closed, we don't want mustard in it."

"I could just hide it under my shirt."

"It would be obvious you were trying to hide something. No one would give a second thought to you holding a paper bag."

Roni thought about it and nodded. "Alright, I'm off." She hurried down the hallway.

Liv, very carefully and very quietly, opened the door and stepped in. Elfie was sitting in a chair next to the bed and on the opposite side of the door so people passing wouldn't distract Bob.

"Did the woman remind you of anyone you know?" Elfie was asking.

Bob shook his head. "Can't... Can't see girl. I-I knew she... was there th-though."

"Did you hear anything?" Elfie asked after a moment.

Bob rocked a little, back and forth, back and forth, handless arms resting on his legs. "'We're ready.' Th-that's... what I heard. That's... how I knew… there was a... woman. She said... 'we're ready.'"

"How did the woman sound?"

"About... your age?"

"What did you feel when you heard her voice?"

"...Curious."

"How so?"

"I didn't... recognize it."

"Do you recognize it now?"

"No."

"Okay. When the woman spoke, what were you looking at?"

"A swing... s-set. I th-thought it was... odd."

"How so?"

"I got the imp-pression that p-purple is...was an unusual c-color for a... s-swing set. But I-I-I couldn't... remember ever s-seeing a... swing set b-before."

The interview went on for another half an hour before Elfie called it quits for the night. Bob gave a highly detailed description of that backyard he was facing, that the rocking chair he was sitting in had a dragon carved on the left armrest missing one of its teeth, and the lacy curtains. Anything before the moment the woman spoke seemed to not exist for him and anything after-.

"Burning. Pain. I'm sc-sc-screaming. My hands… hurt. Other people are... screaming too."

Elfie masterfully turned the questions back to the rocking chair and the backyard. The moment when Bob was born.

_According to Arthur's memories, Rookwood saw the Aurors. Saw them and recognized them. _There was no moment of recognition for Bob. For him he was one second in the chair, the next he was in agony. Like someone apparated him into the flames.

Liv's stomach rolled and she wrapped her arms around herself to self soothe. First the DoM tests on people and now this. It was a two gut punch.

_But we are stopping this from happening again._ Liv breathed in through her nose and out from her mouth as Elfie finished up the interview.

"Thank you Bob. You've been very helpful." Elfie praised.

Bob beamed before asking, "Does this mean I-I'm not... a b-bad man?"

Liv felt her heart break.

* * *

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	12. Chapter 12: An Unexpected Find

Chapter 12

**An Unexpected Find**

Potter ordered Vega and Roni home while he looked into reaching out to his muggle police contacts and the DoM to work the DNA angle.

Vega pulled Liv aside as soon as the taller woman got home to get her full report about what happened at the DoM. Her stomach rolled when Liv spoke about how the Department studied Death and how the Death Eaters weren't going to wait for volunteers.

"Wait, Ms. Longbottom cried?" Vega questioned down to Liv as she patted the other woman on the head, sprawled as they both were on Liv's floor. When she and Ms. Longbottom had crossed paths before, Vega found a hard though not necessarily cruel woman. If memory served, Ms. Longbottom had actually said something about not having time for emotions in her department. Had Vega misread her? "She knows how?"

Liv didn't seem to get the joke Vega was attempting.

"I think," Vega began, lifting her head from the floor. Liv's room was a study in textures and she had one of the most comfortable carpets Vega ever laid on. "We should watch a bad movie. And possible drink while watching said bad movie."

Liv picked her head up off of Vega's stomach. Of out all of them, Liv was very touchy when she expressed her feelings. She had cried and her eyes were red but her brown eyes fixed Vega with a look. "Pirates."

Vega groaned.

"It's my turn to pick the movie and I want to watch the Pirate one."

"Uggg. Fine. But only because we're friends."

Liv gave a watery laugh and got up, stretching. "You can drink through, if you think it'll help."

The movie was just what they needed- a fantasy swashbuckler with magic so fantastic even witches thought it was over the top. Vega vaguely remembered Roni declaring its Heroine, Swan, a Slytherin after the ending scene and Mimsy herding them all to bed.

* * *

Vega shot up in bed, heart racing, wand in hand, and scanned her bedroom through the gauzy curtains surrounding her bed. She knew, instinctively, that there was someone in the room with her.

"Sorry." Elfie's voice came from near the door and Vega relaxed. "I found someone and forgot the time."

Vega blinked in the darkness. "Lumos." Light sparked at the end of her wand and Elfie's alabaster skin caught the light. "Found who?"

"We couldn't find any wizards that lived in the area that Rookwood was captured so you asked if there could have been people who were connected to the Wizarding World but not wizards themselves. There's a squib at the end of the block."

Vega practically leapt out of bed. There was no mention of a squib in the area in any of the reports. But why would they look, their case was tied up neatly in a bow? She looked at the time and sighed. "Thank you Elfie. Go to bed, we'll follow up on it in the morning."

Instead of leaving, Elfie came closer. "I had a question."

The grey-haired woman refrained from asking why it couldn't wait until morning. She knew that some questions were easier to ask in the dark, as though the night was more forgiving than the harshness of day. Patting the bed beside her, she loosely crossed her arms before responding."What about?"

"Why did you request me for the team? I'm not good at talking or reading people and that's important for investigations."

"I have Liv and Roni to talk or read people, to heal or hurt. They're good at their jobs. But investigations are puzzle pieces." Vega paused, hoping she was putting her thoughts in a way that made sense to Elfie. "We all see different pieces but we need to put them together to see the whole. You come at things from a completely different angle than any of us and we need that to succeed."

The team leader hesitated before continuing. "I told the higher ups that you were necessary- that I needed someone who could look at things from a scientific perspective. I told Ms. Longbottom I requested the transfer because you were miserable."

Elfie stared at her like she had grown another head. "I wasn't..." She sounded unsure.

The grey-haired woman tried to ask softly, "what did you do outside of Department? After everyone went home?"

"I- I played video games." The blue-nette stared down at her hands. "Humans are pack animals, we need meaningful contact with each other to be healthy." She murmured. "I thought video games and the Department would be enough."

"Was it?" Doubt suddenly rose in Vega. What if she had misread her team when she saw them and they were all perfectly happy in their old jobs?

_Roni was 110% miserable. Liv was wearing down. You saw that._ She reminded herself.

"No." Elfie confirmed before looking up at Vega with a small smile on her face. "I'm much happier now."

* * *

Vega made them dress up like muggles, much to Elfie's disappointment. Vega couldn't understand how Elfie could be so against the way muggles dressed after she grew up thinking she was one. Liv went into Elfie's closet and found a dress with pockets that did not make Vega grind her teeth.

They apparated almost to the exact spot Arthur and the Aurors appeared at nine years ago. Turning down Guild Street, the team split up- Elfie and Roni would look at the site of the fire while Vega and Liv would talk to the witness. As she walked away, Vega could hear Roni describing to Elfie the scene from Auror Prickwillow's memory.

They approached an old house, well kept, with a fresh coat of lavender paint on it. Vega turned to Liv before knocking. "Might be better if you lead. And omit my last name."

"She might not know the connotations in the Wizarding community."

"Even so, I'd rather we kept that quiet unless she asks directly." Vega knocked on the door and stepped back.

Liv nodded, stepping forward as the door opened.

"Can I help you?" The woman was in her thirties with dark hair and liquid brown eyes.

"Nicola Wormegay?" Liv asked.

"Yes?" Nicola asked, suspicious.

"Olivia Murphy, and this is my partner, Vega. We're with the Ministry." They flashed their badges and Wormegay frowned at them.

"Oh, okay. Come in." She said, uncertain. They followed her inside to a tidy house with a number of wizarding portraits. When she saw them looking, she said, "The Wormegays weren't named one of the twenty-seven but we are a very old family. We've been on this plot of land since the seventeen hundreds. Had to redo the house a couple times though."

She guided them down a hallway to a sitting room. The inside of the house reminded Vega a bit of the old Black house her Grandfather got kicked out of, complete with family tree along one wall in the living room, but not as dark and certainly no House Elf heads. To their left while entering was a door slightly open to what appeared to be the kitchen, while on their right as a set of stairs leading to the second floor. Opposite the hallway entry were large double french doors, covered in a lacy curtain.

"That's amazing." Liv said, settling down in a chair Nicola offered. Vega declined the rocking chair suggested to her by the french doors and instead leaned on the back of it, trying to look casual.

Nicola beamed at Liv. "Vega and Murphy aren't names I'm familiar with."

"We're Canadian based." Liv admitted about herself before clearing her throat. "We were hoping to talk to you about an incident nine years ago."

Vega mentally patted Liv on the back for avoiding that question of her name, even though she cleared her throat afterwards. People kept forgetting Liv could be sneaky if she had the motivation. The grey-haired woman attributed it to needing to circumvent extremely overprotective parents- they had wanted to pull Liv from Hogwarts and homeschool her at the first sign of Voldemort's return but the Hufflepuff had sent them the news reports that accused Potter of being attention seeking.

Nicola blinked. "The Rookwood thing? Yes, I sent it."

Vega tilted her head as Liv asked, "Sent what?"

"The note about Rookwood. I saw him in one of the houses up the street. At the time, I was so scared." Nicola put a hand over her heart, her eyes big. "I sent a note to the Ministry to let someone know, but I sent it anonymously because I was afraid."

Vega frowned. What Nicola said made sense but she sounded… rehearsed.

"Thank you for that. We have some questions about the day Rookwood was captured." Liv smiled warmly at Nicola.

Usually people liked it when Liv smiled at them, since her smiles came from the heart, but Nicola looked worried.

"What kind of questions?"

"Like, how did you know it was Rookwood, what house did you see him in, etc. We'll try to not take up too much of your time."

Vega also wondered _how _Nicola sent that note to the Ministry. If she mailed it, they would have had a return address. Without one, the Watchwizards would have never forwarded it to an Auror.

Nicola's frown deepened. Vega could put that up to nerves or stress associated with an investigation over nine years old. If Roni was here, Vega would have better insight.

Nicola rose from her seat. "This sounds like a long conversation. Let me get you something to drink. Tea?"

"Please." Vega and Liv chimed.

Nicola walked through the doorway to the kitchen, closing the door behind her as Vega leaned over to whisper to Liv. "Something's off, be nosy."

Liv looked confused but got up to take a look around. Vega crossed over to an ancient looking desk, quietly opening the drawers while keeping an ear on the kitchen. She didn't see anything out of place- parchment and muggle paper, muggle pens, those weird devices Roni called 'staplers.'

Vega turned to look at how Liv's snooping was proceeding and saw her staring at the rocking chair. She traced the dragon on the left arm, her eyes going wider in alarm before crossing to the curtains and throwing him open.

The backyard has a young fruit tree, a patio with some newer chairs, and a purple swing set.

There was a _click_ sound from the kitchen doorway and Vega launched herself at Liv, knocking her down right as Nicola's gun went off.

"Apparate." Vega ordered the taller woman before rolling off and shouldering her way through the french doors.

Nicola fired twice more, swore when she saw Liv was gone and turned towards Vega.

Vega was no longer surprised. She had her wand in hand, her feet under her and none of her team was in danger.

"_Expelliarmus_."

Nicola dove to the side, out of sight and her next shot went wild. "Just, just let me get away." Her voice came high and desperate.

"You know we can't do that Nicola. Why would you even work with Death Eaters? They hate Squibs." Vega cautiously stepped up to the doors. Luring Nicola out was her best option but Nicola didn't seem willing to indulge her.

The other woman's voice distorted in rage. "I'd never work with those beasts."

Vega scanned the room but couldn't see her. From Nicola's voice, she should still be in the room. Behind a chair or the desk? "But you worked for Rookwood?"

"You really don't know anything, do you?" Nicola rolled out from behind the end table near the hall in a move that would have looked more impressive if Liv didn't apparate onto the top of the stairs a moment before and hit her with a Disarming Charm. Because of the roll, the gun spun across the floor.

Nicola scrambled for it but Vega's heeled shoe got there first.

"_Incarcerous."_ Black rope shot out of Vega's wand and raced around Nicola. The older woman tried to roll away but the rope latched onto her shoulder, twisted up and down until she was bound.

"NOOO! She needs me, she _**NEEDS**_ me! You don't understand!" Nicola's pretty face was red as she writhed on the floor. Vega thought she looked and sounded a bit unhinged.

"Who needs you?" Liv asked, stepping down the stairs to restrain the woman.

"Vega!" The front door burst open and Roni raced inside, almost colliding with Liv at the bottom of the steps.

Nicola suddenly stopped and looked right at Vega as through seeing her for the first time. "Black. Vega Black." She looked far too excited and Vega leaned back, clutching her wand.

"Yes, yes! I see. This is all part of the plan. _All part of the plan._ It's alright." She bit down on something in her mouth and swallowed as tears spilled over her cheeks. "It's alright." She added, serenely.

"Liv, I think she ate something."

Liv pushed Nicola over as the bound woman's skin flushed a deeper red. Nicola's eyes rolled into her head and she went limp.

"Get Elfie."

Vega leapt over Liv and ran towards the front door, slamming it open before running out. "Elfie, quick."

Elfie had been keeping guard outside just in case Nicola had backup, like Vega had trained her people to do. While she looked alarmed, she raced back inside with Vega.

"Roni, the door."

At Vega's command, Roni ran out to take Elfie's place.

"Merde!" Liv cursed, pulling away from Nicola. The bound woman convulsed on the ground, the rope digging in and bones popping. Vega was torn between releasing her spell or just letting Nicola suffer through it. She did leave that poor man in the hospital and whatever she said to the contrary, Rookwood was a Death Eater.

_That's not right though._ Vega signed, took a breath to release the spell- and paused. "Do you smell almonds? Sour Almonds?"

Even with her admittedly limited knowledge of muggle things, she was pretty sure that smelling almonds was a _**bad sign**_.

A look of terror crossed Elfie's face and she sprung forward to turn Nicola up so they could look at her face. The older woman was beyond flushed now, instead she was cherry red.

Then Nicola just stopped.

Liv moved forward but Elfie put her hand out. "This looks a lot like Cyanide poisoning but far too fast. We'd need mouth protection to do mouth to mouth and I think it's too late for that."

They all looked at the body, more than a little stunned.

"Okay. Uh." Vega grabbed one of the blankets across a chair and draped it across Nicola's body so they would stop staring. "Elfie, search the house. Liv, go to the Ministry and grab some MLEP guys."

The two nodded and Liv disapparated. Elfie, flicked her wand to call up a breeze, fanning away the smell of almonds before opening desk drawers and rifling through them.

"Everything- everything okay in there?" Roni called from the open front door.

"Yeah. No. We aren't in danger." The grey-haired woman answered. She wasn't sure how to explain what happened. "We are getting people from MLEP. Please keep guarding the door."

"Can do."

Vega wanted nothing more than to sit down and try to forget about the last minute and a half. She breathed out and concentrated. Nicola was from an old family, where would she hide important things? Not in Gringotts, at least not anymore- the goblins won't let people store stolen items in their vaults.

Would she even have anything they were looking for? Was Nicola important enough to hide things with? She certainly thought she was important.

_But then so easily killed herself._ Vega pushed that thought to the side. It wasn't constructive.

Personally, she kept her stuff in a safe… behind a painting. Vega stalked over to the Wormegay family tree and tapped it with her wand. It slid to the side, revealing a safe. "_Alohomora."_

_Of course it wouldn't open. It would be charmed against that._ But she caught Elfie's attention, who tapped her wand against it and hummed. Then the tip of her wand glowed white hot and she cut a whole through the door.

"It's old. Created before people burning through safes was a possibility." The taller woman stuck her wand through and tapped again. This time the door swung open. "Bingo."

Inside, all by itself, was a grey cube with the middles pressed in, making Vega think of a partially melted ice cube.

"Oh thats…" Elfie stopped, tapping the grey object with her wand. It turned bright red and Elfie murmured a series of spells until it turned grey again. Then she picked it up, turning it around in her hands. "The Ghost Subduer." She scowled at it. "Really should have a better name."

"Death Eaters aren't known for naming things."

* * *

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	13. Chapter 13: Auror Black

Chapter 13

**Auror Black**

Potter arrived thirty minutes later, a scowl on his face. "Is there a place to talk?"

The MLEP were all over the house but the backyard was empty. She pointed and followed him out. He looked around the place and sat down on one of the swings.

"I think the last time I was on a swing set was right before I was attacked by a couple of Dementors."

"Clearly simpler times."

He laughed, swinging a bit. "Just had to worry about Riddle." He smiled for a moment more as Vega put up a Concealment Charm followed by a Quietening Charm, then became serious. "Black, tell me why your witness is dead."

Vega recounted the events of the morning with her normal cool precision right until Nicola was tied up. For some reason her voice hitched. Clearing her throat, she finished with her report, ending with finding the Ghost Subduer.

"And you still have it on you?" Potter asked, crossing his arms.

"Yes sir."

"Brilliant. Hold onto it. I'm not sure it's safe at the Ministry."

Vega tilted her head. "Sir?"

"Your house still has the Fidelius Charm on it, right?"

She went hot then cold at the reminder. Too many feelings and memories were attached to that information and now she wasn't sure how she felt about Dumbledore casting it. "Yes sir."

"Please keep it there until I'm sure it'll be safe at the Ministry."

"'Not safe,' sir?"

Potter signed, deflating. "This doesn't go past this playset area. Lately, it seems like someone has been one step ahead of us in other cases. Strings of bad luck. The only team not affected seems to be yours." Potter looked at her meaningfully.

"Am I a suspect?" Vega was surprised at how level her voice was.

"We already cleared you. Seems like you're good luck."

She thought of Nicola, her body still laying in the living room. _I don't feel like good luck._

Vega nodded and waited. Potter stared at her expectantly.

"Is there something else, Black?"

"You don't know the secret."

"That's right. I don't."

They stared at each other for a moment before Potter gestured to the house. "Grab your team and go home. Take the rest of the day off. We'll tell you if we find something."

Vega nodded again and turned to the house.

* * *

Roni was not happy with her. Supposedly it was because she missed the fight completely, but Vega knew it was how Roni dealt with the situation.

"She knew you were a Black?" Roni asked as she whaled on the punching bag.

"Punch with your hips Roni. Don't get sloppy." Liv admonished from the side.

Roni followed directions in her next jab and Vega grunted with the force of it. The grey-haired woman wasn't sure how she got talked into holding the bag.

_Was I charmed somehow?_

Liv was talking with Elfie next to the wall, either asking what she was working on or trying to get her to spar.

Vega's attention was brought back to Roni when the shorter woman threw an impressive spin kick that almost knocked Vega flat. Roni shot her a look and the grey-haired woman blew out a breath, taking back her place. Her mind kept going back to Nicola and her last moments.

It wasn't that Vega hadn't seen people die before. She was at the Battle of Hogwarts. It was just that Nicola's death was very unsettling to her.

_She was going to fight until she realized I was a Black. Then she just gave up._ But calling what happened 'giving up' felt wrong. _Accepting her fate?_

_Was she telling us it was alright or self soothing?_

The punching bag smacked her in the face, hard. "OH!"

Her focus now on her nose, Vega let go of the bag and stepped back, eyes watering. A Liv shaped blob appeared, grabbing her chin and shifting her face up.

"Nothing broken, probably just smarts."

"You're telling me." Vega wiped her eyes.

"Jeeze, Vega. Where's your head at?" Roni glared at her beside the punching bag, hands on her hips.

"Sorry, guess I'm just distracted."

"Uh huh." Roni tapped the bag, making it swing.

"I'll hold the bag for you Roni. Vega, hang with Elfie for a bit." Liv ordered. Roni scowled but Vega was all too happy to obey, sliding down against the wall until she was sitting next to Elfie.

"How are you?" Vega asked, desperate to put her mind on something else.

Elfie shrugged, tapping away on her keyboard.

"What are you working on?"

Her typing paused. "A 3D representation of the fire. I know we don't need it but it's a good exercise."

"Brilliant. Could I see?"

Elfie typed a couple more things into the laptop before turning it slightly more towards Vega and hitting play.

People in the 'program' were a little more articulated than stick figures but they did their job and showed everyone at the scene.

"I think Rookwood must have blown the car himself." The lone stick figure lifted his wand out of view of the others. The car between the two groups- parked in the middle of the street, illegally to muggle laws now that she thought of it- exploded violently with a number of Aurors getting caught in the blast. It looked exactly like what Arthur remembered from a different angle.

"About now would have been when Rookwood did the switch." His stick figure had vanished shortly after the fire started. A new one appeared now, sans hands. It was clear that he'd need at least one more partner to apparate Bob in the confusion. "I'm having a hard time figuring out if they took off his hands before or if the fire really did take them."

"No way they left this to chance. Nicola had something in her mouth..." Vega trailed off. That was probably a large part of what was bothering her about the suicide: Nicola had prepared for it.

_But only if a Black was making the arrest?_

_I'm the only Auror Black. Ever._

"Which means she was waiting for me."

Beside her, Elfie stiffened, closing her laptop.

"She was looking right at me when she said her final words." Vega only realized she brought her thumb nail to her mouth when she tasted the Bitter Nail Charm she put on it.

Vega looked up to see everyone looking back at her, even Mimsy in the doorway to their makeshift dojo.

"Let's do something else." Liv suggested, always trying to be helpful.

"Go over the details again. We have to have another lead." Vega leaned her elbow against her knee and her head against her hand, not looking at anyone.

"Potter said to take it easy today and go back to the case tomorrow." Roni pointed out.

Vega got up. "I can't do that. I need to know what we should be doing tomorrow before…" She lost her train of thought. "Putting it to bed for now."

"The break-in and Bob." Elfie said suddenly, getting up herself. "They're the only loose ends."

"Elfie and I can go over the break in and you can go with Liv to Bob." Roni suggested, putting her arm on Vega's shoulder. It was only then that the grey-haired woman realized she was shaking.

"No, Elfie should talk to Bob and try another cognitive interview. You and I can check the DoM. Mervyn was a friend of my Grandfather so I may be able to go at him from another angle." Vega sighed, feeling some tension leave her. Then she looked at Roni's smirk. "Why do I feel like I've been tricked?"

Roni made her good eye big. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Bull."

* * *

They spent the rest of the day catching up on muggle T.V shows and getting a little drunk on the 'girliest' drinks Roni and Liv could make in the kitchen. Vega was partly hoping a new revelation would come to her in another drunken state but had no luck this time.

Mimsy helpfully placed a potion for hangovers next to Vega's morning tea as the witch cradled her head in her hands by her window. "Thank you Mimsy. Please check with Liv about Roni's werewolf potion."

"Of course Mistress." She squealed and paused. "May I ask for the evening off?"

Vega's head snapped around- a poor choice of action with her head. As soon as the room stopped spinning, she answered. "Of course. You have several days of paid vacation time."

Mimsy scowled, "I will just need a couple of hours."

Vega sighed but understood. Mimsy was from the same House Elf family that had served the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black for generations- Farther back than Elladora Black, who started beheading House Elves at the end of their ability to serve. For Mimsy's family, there was no greater honor than to be remembered forever by a Wizarding family. For Mimsy, reminders that she now got _paid _were almost an insult. Vega hoped that in time her outlook would change.

"You don't have to answer, but I am curious."

"My cousin has asked for my help."

"Your cousin Kreatcher?"

"That's the one. The Mistress of the house has been having odd cravings. Our Great-Grandmother had a recipe that always worked."

"Of course you can go. Take as much time as you need." Internally, Vega felt bad for Potter- stuck with weird cases and then go home to strange cravings. "Potter did inherit the old Black House, he's practically a Black himself."

Mimsy grumbled. "It should have gone to you, Mistress."

Vega shrugged. She had only heard stories about the house from her Grandfather and had no interest in dealing with a place that probably stored black magic. Mimsy would not like that explanation as it wasn't really befitting the ambitions of a member of the Black Family to her. Instead, she went at it from a Pure-blood perspective. "If I took the house, I'd have to take Kreatcher. No one needs two House Elves and I'm quite pleased with your service. I'm sure you could teach Kreatcher a thing or two about caring for a Wizarding family."

Mimsy brightened. "Thank you Mistress. I won't let you down."

"See that you don't."

* * *

Vega and Roni were running a little late to their appointment with the DoM and Vega felt she should still touch base with Potter before hand. The grey-haired woman sent her partner to the DoM while she went to the Deputy to ask if there was any news about 'Bob.'

Roni looked like she wanted to make a joke but wisely held her tongue and saluted when she stepped off the elevator.

Luckily, Potter was alone in his office. He looked up when she knocked on the open door and gestured to one of the chairs. "Welcome back to work. Hope you rested well. No nightmares, etc."

"Blacks don't dream."

"Ex-Excuse me?"

"Sirius didn't tell you? Whole family." Vega made a slight sweeping motion with her hand. "Elfie thinks thats why so many of them were…" She wanted to say 'awful' but Potter was related to the family, even if it was distantly.

"Terrible?"

"Yes. Their subconscious never made them relive anything."

Potter took a moment to process that, his eyebrows furrowing. She saw him mouth what could have been 'Even Malfoy?' but couldn't be sure. After a moment, he shook his head to clear it and continued.

"I'll keep this brief- It appears that Nicola's place was a halfway or safe house. A number of neighbors saw multiple wanted wizards using the house at one point or another, thinking they were family members. Its given us some fresh leads on a number of cold cases. We'll be taking apart that house for a couple weeks to collect all the evidence and doing more extensive interviews on the neighbors nearby."

"Nicola herself seems to have ingested some sort of magically enhanced cyanide pill. The Healer wouldn't have known where to start if Elfie hadn't informed him that it looked a lot like muggle cyanide. The Wizard community usually doesn't interact with poisons like this, as you well know." He shook his head. "If any other team had been there, they wouldn't have realized how dangerous it was to give someone suffering from cyanide poisoning mouth-to-mouth. We could have lost someone. The Healers are working on creating an antidote for the future."

"As for the person we believed to be Rookwood-"

"We're calling him Bob in the meantime, sir."

Potter huffed out a laugh. "We currently don't have any word on 'Bob's' real identity but my contact with the Muggle police is working on it."

"I have no other questions. My team are going to interview Bob again to see if he has any other information for us and put the DoM under a microscope."

Potter nodded. "Sounds good. I won't keep you."

Vega turned to go and saw a young, redheaded, petite woman with a freckled complexion and heavily pregnant hurrying towards the office. Ginevra Potter's bright brown eyes looked both furious and devastated.

Vega suddenly remembered how good Mrs. Potter was at hexes and did not want to be the focus of her wrath. She tried to exit the office quickly but Ginny spotted her.

"No, you're Vega Black, right? Please stay. Please." The older woman looked on the verge of crying and Vega let herself be herded back into Potter's office.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Potter stepped up to his wife and put his arms around her.

Vega again felt the urge to leave, this time because she was encroaching on something private.

Ginny leaned into her husband's arms for a moment, breathed deep and then pulled away. "He's taken him. He's taken James."

Potter froze for only a moment. "Who took our son?"

"I'd know him anywhere. It was Rookwood, the Death Eater who killed Fred."

* * *

Please Review!


	14. Chapter 14: Riddle's Evil

I'm sorry this is super late! First I was sick, then I pulled up this chapter to post, got distracted and walked away. Sorry!

* * *

Chapter 14

**Riddle's Evil**

Vega saw the shock go through Potter and took over. "Mrs. Potter, please sit. Potter, water for her."

She opened the door to the office and concentrated on the memory of a water pistol fight between her team after they had all moved in together and how Elfie absolutely destroyed them by using _math_, giggling like a madman the entire time. "_Expecto Patronum."_ A black swan made out of soft light erupted out of the tip of her wand and flew down to the DoM for Roni.

Then she closed the door and cast the Imperturbable Charm for privacy. When she turned, she found Ginny sitting in the closest chair with a look of determination on her face. Potter knelt on the floor next to her, pressing a glass into her hand.

"Ginny, what happened?"

She took a deep, steading breath before answering. "I took James and Albus to the grocers with Mom. The Muggle one down the street."

Potter nodded and Ginny went on. "Mom was suggesting baby names and James wandered away into the next aisle. I went after him but Rookwood had already picked him up. You know how James is- he doesn't realize not everyone is his friend."

"That's why we have passwords. The kids aren't sup- Ginny, what's wrong?"

Ginny had frozen, her eyes wide as she stared at something over Potter's shoulder. "He knew the password." She said very quietly.

"What?!"

"I heard him say it. That's why I ran. I didn't recognize his voice." The redhead pulled herself out of her shock. "I never told anyone but the kids the password."

"Neither did I."

"Maybe the kids told someone." Vega offered.

They both spun to her like they had forgotten she was there.

Someone pounded on the door behind her, causing Vega to almost jump. She opened the blinds to check and saw her team.

"Potter, they're here."

"Bring them in." He ordered, back in control.

Vega opened the door and the office became a lot more cramped. The door was closed and the charm reapplied.

Liv looked around at everyone and crossed over to Potter's tea station, herding Roni and Elfie away from the door.

"James Potter was kidnapped by Rookwood." Vega informed them before turning to Ginny. "Did Rookwood say anything?"

Ginny nodded. "He'll give back James unharmed 'if Vega Black delivers the Ghost Subduer to him, by herself, at sundown tonight at the North end of Dean's forest.'"

Vega took a deep breath and let it out.

"Okay, we've got seven hours to plan. Let's make it count."

* * *

Vega apparated to the North edge of Dean's forrest just as the sun dipped below the horizon. The black bag in her pocket felt far too light to be worth a child's life.

A man in a black robe and a Death Eater's mask stepped out of the woods and walked closer.

"Rookwood?"

"No. But I'm to take you to him."

Vega frowned for two reasons- One, she didn't recognize the voice at all which meant he was not one of the Death Eaters who came to Hogwarts. Those she took careful observation of.

Two, going anywhere with an enemy was a bad idea.

"Walking or Apparating?" She asked as he came closer. The grey-haired woman hoped it was walking. She _**really **_didn't like how he wasn't confiscating her wand either. It told her he felt that she was a complete non-threat.

"Neither." He held up an innocuous looking pipe. "Portkey."

"The boy is still alive and unharmed?" Vega tried to buy for time as she thought. A portkey could take her anywhere in England, even outside of it. The fact that they made one was very brazen. The Ministry could track those.

_But only if they had time to do so._

"Yes, yes." He seemed to wave off her concern and thrust the pipe at her. "Come see for yourself."

She stared down at the pipe in his white gloves and a memory came to her. A report on Sirius Black's testimony during his trial for the Potter murders. He had met another wizard there, wearing white silk gloves that he bemoaned getting dirty before Hagrid showed up. It was only years later and after Sirius was posthumously cleared that the question of that wizard's loyalty came up. Why was he there?

"Pyrites."

The man in the white gloves froze before letting out a haunting laugh. "Well done Miss Black. Well done indeed. Get that from my voice? No wonder the boss wants to speak to you."

Vega wasn't going to admit it was his unusual preference to hand wear. He laughed at her again when she didn't respond and held out the portkey to her.

She wrapped her fingers around it with the hope that this boss wanted to talk to her more than they wanted her _dead_.

Traveling by portkey was never pleasant. It made her think of a fish being pulled by a hook out of the water. The first time she portkeyed, she couldn't even look at fish for a week. This time was hardly any better, but she landed on her feet and pushed down her nausea.

Rookwood was about twenty yards away, wand pointed at the small, dark haired boy in his arms.

_Was Rookwood the new boss?_ With what little she knew of him, that seemed unlikely. He was more of a follower than a leader.

"So nice of you to join us, Miss Black." Rookwood called out. As he said 'us,' fifteen wizards in masks stepped out from behind trees, encircling her. She double checked to be sure on the number.

"Are we still in Dean's Forest?" She called back, putting her hands in her blazer pockets and trying to take it all in like a tourist.

"No, thought we'd meet at a recent conquest of yours to make you a little more comfortable." Rookwood sneered. "Especially since you were so nice to request an Anti-Disapparating Jinx be placed in the area."

Vega glanced down and saw the charred remnants of the Fiendfyre she and Roni encountered a couple nights ago. She was very certain the request for the Anti-Disapparating Jinx was only for the night. Did someone in the Ministry extend it?

She shifted some of the details of her plan around in her head. If disapparating wasn't possible, this just became far more dangerous.

_Seventeen opponents and a hostage._

"I was told that your boss wants to talk to me." Vega needed to stall.

Rookwood shot a look at Pyrites. The masked Death Eater raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"She'll be along soon. Has some stuff to finish up before joining us." Rookwood shrugged. "And, yes, she'd like to speak with you, but if you so much as put a toe out of line, we'll kill you and the boy. Now." He stood up straighter as if he could command her. "Give the Ghost Subduer to Pyrites."

"Not so fast." Vega pointed to James. "No deal until I see the boy is all in one piece."

Rookwood snarled. "You can see from there."

"Not with the way you're holding him. I need to see ten fingers, two eyes, and two ears attached to him." Vega was far better issuing commands and Rookwood immediately looked down at James to see how he could fulfill her order.

"Hold up your hands, boy."

Poor James was shivering, scared and cold, but he put up his hands with only a little hesitation. He sniffled a little and swallowed, clearly fighting back tears and trying to be brave.

"Hey, James." She called from across the clearing, trying to keep her voice soft. "I'm going to get you home to your mum and pa, okay." She nodded at him.

James nodded back, sniffling harder. "Mom's going to be so _mad _at me."

Vega let out a breath. If James' concern was his mom being mad then the Death Eaters probably hadn't hurt him. Which was odd, but maybe this group had some sort of morals.

"Rookwood, why don't you just the kid go. You have me. There's a road." She pointed back toward the house. "He could get some help and by the time the Ministry figures out where we are, we'd be long gone."

Rookwood shook his head. "Sorry, she wants to speak with him too. Something about speaking with the son of Riddle's killer."

"Riddle?" _**That **_was unexpected. Death Eaters called him "_The Dark Lord,"_ or, if they were feeling bold, "_Voldemort."_ Never Riddle, the last name of his _muggle _father.

_It's not a Death Eater who took over. It's someone else._

"Does your new boss know how you hid when you thought Riddle was dead?"

Rookwood snorted. "We didn't hide. We went back to her, as ordered."

Vega blinked at him as she absorbed that. "You- you were working for Riddle under her orders?"

"Our Mistress thought that we could bring some good out of his evil."

"You murdered little kids. You were at the Battle of Hogwarts." Vega's voice was cold and unyielding. Inside her jacket, her hands were clenched so tight, her nails broke skin. "_**You were Riddle's evil."**_

Rookwood shrugged, unaffected by her rage. "You don't see the whole picture. But you will."

Vega felt a shudder go through her. He sounded so _sure_.

"Now, enough stalling. The Ghost Subduer." Rookwood turned his wand to Vega.

Which was the opening Liv and Potter were waiting for, stepping out from Potter's invisibility cloak.

* * *

Please review!


	15. Chapter 15: A Repugnant Reunion

Author's Note: This chapter has major blood and limb loss. Read at your own discretion.

* * *

Chapter 15

**A Repugnant Reunion**

_Three hours before._

"I don't know if this is a great plan or a terrible one." Potter said, pacing the dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"I think it's brilliant except for one thing." Ginny sat in a plush chair, ankles crossed, back straight like a queen attending court.

"You can't come Ginny. Not while you're pregnant." Potter stopped in front of his wife again and knelt down at her feet. They looked a bit like a knight and his lady. "Please."

Ginny sighed. "Then you both better come home in one piece. Only George is allowed to make 'hole-y' jokes."

"Don't worry Harry. There are always cheese jokes." George, a thin, red-headed man only a couple years older than Harry, sat at the table, munching a biscuit. Beside him were his brothers Ron, Percy, and even Bill had managed to make it away from his job. Charlie was the only one they couldn't get a hold of on such short notice. Fleur, Bill's wife, was with Molly at their family home, helping her watch the various Weasley spawn along with Audrey, Percy's wife.

Hermione was standing at the head of the table, sipping a cup of tea while watching Elfie run the simulation on her computer again. "Brilliant. You even have calculated how the fire would spread due to the gas."

"Elfie would be able to set up the scene with a couple clicks. Roni can read my mind to tell her where to click. Liv can apparate anywhere. All I need to do is get you an opening." Vega told Potter. "Trust me, trust my team. We'll bring your boy home safe."

* * *

"James, drop." Vega said in her best 'obey me now' voice.

The boy went limp in Rookwood's hold, giving Liv time to grab Rookwood's wand arm, retching it back while firing at Pyrite.

Vega followed her own advice and dropped right as Potter ripped his son out of Rookwood arms and disappeared.

_The Anti-Disapparating Jinx must be gone_, Vega thought as she fired a Full-Body Jinx while on the ground and rolled without checking if she hit. Being the center of attention was a bad idea in a fight.

The Weasley clan had already dropped three opponents and it looked like a couple more were running. Vega aimed her roll toward the physical fight going on between Liv and Rookwood. Liv still had her hands around his wand wrist but her nose was bleeding and he had his off hand around her wand hand.

Liv dropped onto her back and flung Rookwood behind her. Vega, luckily, saw her motion and managed to get out of the way of Rookwood's landing. The Death Eater realized the grey-haired woman was there and grabbed her right arm, right as she point her wand at him.

And, turned, disapparating.

Apparation isn't easy. A lot of wizards and witches don't have the knack for it and often turn to other modes of travel, like portkeys and broomsticks. Even so, one of the first lessons taught to new Aurors was to never let an opponent grab you because they may apparate you away from help and into a more dangerous area- like a volcano.

Rookwood grabbed Vega's arms during the turn, crushing her to his chest, trapping her wand before she realized what was happening. She tried to twist and shove him off to no use before leaning forward and biting down on his shoulder as hard as she could. She felt him jerk and release one of her arms before striking her in the head. She held on through the pain.

Vega tore through her mental filing cabinets for any way to get out of an apparation after it had been cast and wasn't finding anything-

Except for a question from Elfie, asked when they were all training how to apparate during their sixth year.

"_What would happen if one person apparated two people and the second person apparated during the first apparation?"_

_The instructors not only didn't have an answer but were more than a little appalled at the question._

"_Not all questions need answers." They told the class._

_Well, this one is about to get one_. Mid-turn, Vega turned again.

And wanted to scream in agony.

If it was hard to breath while normally apparating, the second apparation made it impossible. Her lungs cried out for air but gasping did nothing. Everything was being compressed into herself- her eyes, eardrums, and nose felt such a build up of pressure she thought they'd all burst at once.

_The park outside the house._ It was the thought she put above all others through sheer will, even the idea that she might die like this.

Rookwood's arms fell away finally and she landed, hard, on the grass covered ground.

She breathed in and screamed.

Vega wasn't in the practice of screaming but she imagined she was pretty loud. At this point she was hoping a Muggle would come to help. Or so she told herself after she was done. In the moment, she just couldn't stop herself.

She stared up at the night sky as the pain in her ebbed for the most part. It took her some time to realize the pain in her leg wasn't retreating like everywhere else. She glanced down at the offending limb.

And found a significant portion of said limb missing.

Everything below the knee on her right leg was gone.

Her first thought was Mad-Eye Moody, her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in her second year. _I won't look good with a peg leg._ She thought and then giggled a little to herself. _Except he wasn't- that was Barty Crouch Jr, posting as Mad-Eye._

Remembering the Death Eater and how _**she wasn't done**_ finally pulled her out of her shock. She shucked her blazer and immediately put pressure on the wound, taking care that the Ghost Subduer was transferred to her pants' pocket. It took her a few tries and more whimpers than she'd care to admit, but she was able to pull off her belt next and wrap it around her leg as a tourniquet.

_Thank you Liv._ The woman had insisted they all know emergency triage.

Once that was secure and she felt she was no longer in danger of bleeding out right away, Vega put her mind to figuring out where her wand was.

_And that's how I know I was in shock- I should have realized it was gone right away._ No other explanation was satisfactory. She was an Auror, forgetting one's wand simply was not done.

She scanned the ground in the area, hoping she hadn't lost it in the fight. _There!_ It lay a few yards away at the base of an Elder tree. Rolling over onto her stomach, she started to crawl toward it.

It didn't take long at all for her to need a break. She put her head down, not caring about the dirt getting in her face and hair, or the rocks digging into her arms as she focused on not passing out. If she could get her wand, she could call for help. That's all she needed to do.

Even with her face in the dirt, Vega knew immediately that she was no longer alone. She lifted her head up to see a woman glide out of the darkness like some sort of dark fairy from Muggle Fairy Tales. The new woman's hair was as black as a raven's wing, her skin as pale as snow. The black dress she wore clung to her every curve with a plunging neckline and a long necklace to pull the eyes down. The moon's light seemed to caress her face, highlighting her high cheekbones and aristocratic nose.

Ever since Vega heard her Grandfather was murdered, she had longed to punch that proud, arrogant, stuck-up nose.

"Vega, my Eagle. How you've fallen." She murmured, stepping closer and getting between Vega and her wand.

Vega clenched her teeth so hard, she response came out as a grunt. She could literally see red as her rage caused her to shake.

_Focus. Right now she has all the power. Buy time. Elfie and Liv __**will **__find me._ Roni would have already changed as the moon had risen. Would she have stayed at 12 Grimmauld Place?

Instead of cursing the black-haired woman out, Vega responded through gritted teeth.

"Hello Mother."

The woman smiled, inclining her head like Vega did to offer something. Sometimes it sickened her how much she was her mother's child. "My Little Star. I've been wanting to speak to you for so long now."

That was… _odd_. Was this all a hallucination? Lysandra didn't call Vega her 'Little Star.' She called Cygnus that. Cygnus, her brother six years older than her. A Death Eater that died at the Battle of Hogwarts, killed while trying to murder his younger sister.

No, Vega was never Lysandra's favourite Star. After Cygnus left home to go to Hogwarts, her mother's favourites were Castor and Pollux. Vega, Lysandra had lamented often, was too soft. Her Wounded Eagle.

"What do you want Lysandra? I'm kind of busy at the moment." Probably not her best move, but she was in no mood for her enemy to pretend to be motherly to her now.

"Is that any way to speak to your mother?" Vega was expecting something along that line from her. She was not expecting it spoken so softly. Lysandra hated soft. She would have snarled at Vega's impudence.

_Something wasn't just odd, its off. Wrong._

"If you wanted to play Mom, I'm sure Cas and Pol would love to play doting children. Phineas would also be happy to play loving husband again. The four of you can pretend to be one big happy family without me."

_If Phineas can forgive you for murdering his father._ But considering how angry Phineas was that Alphard Black left everything to his "weakest" child, Vega doubted he cared much that his wife killed the family patriarch.

Lysandra looked sadly down at her. "But our family won't be complete without you, Darling Star."

Again, that wasn't one of her nicknames. And Lysandra had been happy to be rid of her when she went off to Hogwarts.

The older woman was now above her, so close the pendant of her necklace swung down. It was a black stone, pebbled-sized, suspended in gold threads like a time turner.

"_So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead."_

Vega looked up her mother's face and a chill gripped her. Lysandra's eyes, normally a dark brown were a shocking shade of silver. The grey-haired woman reached out and ripped the Resurrection Stone prototype from around the other woman's neck before rolling away. She didn't get far but she got a little closer to her wand.

"My mother." Vega spat. "Only cared about being part of the illustrious Black family, one of the twenty-seven. Her husband and children were just a means to an end. She never had nor ever will have a use for the Resurrection Stone. Who the hell are you? And where is Lysandra?!"

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	16. Chapter 16: Summoning

Chapter 16

**Summoning**

The woman in Lysandra's form smiled softly, almost affectionately. "Lysandra told me you were a clever one. I underestimated you. I thought you'd be more comfortable-"

"With your farce? Where's Lysandra?"

"She's here." The woman pointed to her own head. "This isn't the effects of a Polyjuice Potion. I needed a body and Lysandra was happy to provide one."

Vega tasted bile on the back of her tongue. She had to breathe deeply to keep from vomiting. _There's no way._

"There is no way Lysandra would 'happily' do that."

"Yes. You told me yourself- she wanted prestige. And as my host, she got it."

That- that sounded closer to what Vega remembered of her mother but a part of her balked at the whole idea.

"So what, you have control of her body Monday, Wednesday, Friday and every other Sunday?"

The woman threw her head back and gave a full bodied laugh that sounded completely different from Lysandra's. It was unnerving.

"You've done very well in distracting me but we must cut to the chase before you bleed out, Little Eagle.

"Tell me the secret to get into your house for the Ghost Subduer."

"My hou-? I will not willingly tell you. I'm under the Secret Keeper Charm so you can't torture it out of me either." Vega wasn't about to admit that she had the item on her person.

The woman gave a humming sound much like a purr. "While I was wishing for a peaceful resolution, a part of me hoped you'd make this difficult." She reached into one of her sleeves and pulled out a whistle with a skull on it.

Vega scrambled backwards in realization. It looked just like the Dementor Summoner prototype. She rolled back onto her stomach and tried to crawl away.

"I can see you recognize it." A foot met her back and Vega cried out in pain. She didn't hear a sound from the whistle but maybe that was the point.

"You've become too much of a threat, my Fallen Eagle. I wasn't intending for you to find my whistle before, but it came back to me all the same. Then you had to go and find my Cube." The woman sighed, an almost dainty sound. "Poor Nicola, she was so faithful, right until the end. Oh well. We do what we must."

"Lysandra's body can only support me for so long anyway. You body will hold out for a lot longer. Especially without a second soul to support. And with no soul for the Fidelius Charm to attach to, I can just walk in and claim what's mine."

Vega felt unbearably cold and watched as frost gathered on the grass by her face. _They're close!_ The panic that thought brought up was quickly swallowed as she fell into a memory.

"_Veronica Adeline Turner, don't you dare die on me!" Vega had her hands pressed down on the smaller girl's stomach as red seeped through her robes._

"_Vega, I've got her." Liv had to scream in her ear to be heard over the chaos around them. The Hufflepuff pressed her own black robes over Roni's stomach hard enough for the far too pale girl to cry out. "Shhh." Liv tried to sooth before turning to Vega. "She can't be moved. We need a Healer."_

_Vega nodded, a little numb. _Not Roni too, _she begged whatever higher powers may be listening. Most of the group of Slytherin girls she joined his part of the battle with were already down. And some she was sure would never get back up again. _They followed **me **here.

_She looked up and saw Elfie carefully perched as a look out behind the rock they were using as refuge. Only fourteen, the Ravenclaw was small for her age and no one noticed her in the dark with her black hair._

"_Stay here. Keep an eye out. I'll get help." Vega ordered her before jumping to her feet and leaving cover._

_She barely took three steps before she heard, "Traitor!"_

_Vega turned to see her older brother coming at her, murder in his brown eyes. "Avada-"_

_She fired first, the light of her spell joining three others as it raced towards Cygnus. Vega saw the realization in his eyes that he couldn't avoid them and looked away._

She pulled herself out of the stream of memories, not wanting to revisit the horrors of her childhood. She didn't want the endless 'lessons' Lysandra put her though to stand straight, or relive the time Vega brought home a wounded starling and Cygnus' reaction to his new 'toy.'

_No._ She was cold so she focused on that sensation. She opened her eyes to see a cloaked figure leaning down to her.

Vega pulled up the memory of winning the TriWizard Tournament her seventh year, the crowd cheering her name, the stands adorned with the Slytherin house and Hogwarts colors, no one calling her a blood traitor. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

As an Auror, Vega had practiced the Patronus Charm over and over and _over _again. It was her favorite utility spell- scare off Dementors, send for help, create a mist to cover escapes, use it as a distraction, etc. Even though she had never performed wandless magic before, a large part of her was still quite a bit disappointed with the silver mist she created.

It was enough for the Dementor to glide backwards a equivalent of a single step.

_It wasn't happy enough._ Vega tried to bring up more buoyant memories. She had a filing cabinet full of them just for this purpose but none of the were 'pure' enough. They were all tangled up with a sense of pride.

"_Swan's definitely a Slytherin. I mean, all swans are immediately in Slytherin." Roni told the group, grinning up at Vega and Liv, the latter using the former as a pillow on the couch. Elfie was perched next to Roni on the floor, comfortable enough at the moment to lean on the shorter woman, nursing a sunshine yellow drink that would knock the rest of them over._

"_I think that since they're birds, they'd be in Ravenclaw." Vega retorted, sipping a glass of ice wine._

_Elfie craned her head back to look at her. "Swans are way too vicious."_

"_Seems a little… racist? To say all of one group goes to one house?" Vega snagged some more popcorn to chomp down on._

"_All ravens are in Ravenclaw." Roni swept her arm out in front of her as though to encompass the whole species, more than a little sloshed from her Jack and Coke. Vega suspected there wasn't a lot of Coke in it._

"_Corvids are one of the more intelligent animals on the planet." Elfie chimed._

"_Then all Griffins are in Gryffindor?" Vega asked, amused._

_Roni whirled to Vega, nodding. "__Yes__! And all honey badgers are in Hufflepuff. Look at her face," Roni said emphatically, pointing at Liv, probably the drunkest out of all of them. "She don't give a _**fuck**_."_

At the time, Vega laughed so hard she couldn't talk or breath for several moments, upsetting Liv from her place. Now she screamed out, "_**Expecto Patronum!"**_

The mist this time was a lot thicker but still not a solid shape. It did its job though- the Dementor flew backward, past the woman. She glanced down at Vega, all the warm affection faked earlier gone. In its place was a sort of distant, mild curiosity. A look that said "Interesting. Can it do it again?"

Vega was fairly certain she couldn't. _Got to get to my wand._ She gritted her teeth and dragged herself closer. A foot connected with her ribs but she tried to ignore it and push past the pain. The next kick nearly flipped her over and the Auror grunted in pain but kept going. The woman sighed as though Vega was a difficult child.

_Why doesn't she just curse me? Or grab my wand?_ Vega didn't have much time to think about that, her wand was within reach. Stretching out with her free hand, she was stopped when an ornate knife slammed down through it. As Vega screamed, black lines radiated outward from the stab wound.

_No. No. No!_ Vega awkwardly grabbed the knife, upsetting her precarious balance and forcing her to put weight on her bleeding knee. She cried out again, more in rage than pain, and ripped it out.

She clumsy sliced at the leg near her and the woman yelped, stumbling backwards. Vega dropped the knife and grabbed her wand with her pierced hand, spinning onto her back.

The light from the woman's spell washed over her. Vega braced herself for pain, an attack, or even death but the moment passed and Vega stared at the woman in confusion.

The black-haired woman sighed again. "I thought so." She said as though she was more disappointed than angry. Gesturing behind her, she called the Dementor forward.

But since the woman was focused on Vega, she didn't see the _terribly _angry werewolf until Roni's jaws were around her throat.

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	17. Chapter 17: Dreams Do Show Me Thee

Chapter 17

**Dreams Do Show Me Thee**

Vega threw out another Patronus Charm while Roni flung the woman into a tree. Her black swan attacked the Dementor, causing the cloaked creature to flee, before disappearing into the wood, with hopefully enough will to get to Liv and Elfie. Vega wasn't sure the charm would make it.

The woman got up, one hand on another black-handled dagger- an _athame- _and another on the bite mark on her neck. The wound glowed with magic for a moment before closing, without leaving a scar.

Vega blinked, her mind scrambling to figure out what just happened. "Roni, we need her alive."

If the woman really did just heal a _werewolf bite_, they needed to know how. Everything else be damned. This was Vega's chance to fix what happened to Roni and so many others.

Roni growled in what Vega hoped was an affirmative and leapt at the woman. The woman backed up and flicked out the athame like it was a wand and _cast a spell_. Roni ducked under it, just barely.

Vega focused and tried to cast another spell herself, but while her wand warmed, no light erupted from the tip. _Damn._ She was completely out. Her arm was shaking, and, now that she was looking, her vision was going dark with the tunnel beginning to close.

_No. I won't go down here._ Vega started scrambling backward. If she passed out in the open, Roni would prioritize Vega's safety over subduing her opponent. And Vega wasn't going to let herself become a liability.

She pulled herself backwards, slowly, and backed into something solid when she was certain that there wasn't a tree behind her.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she was sure she'd jump out of her skin if she had the energy for it.

"Murphy, Lewis, over here! We've got this Black. The werewolf is Turner, I'm guessing?" Potter said behind her.

Vega looked up at his face right as he noted her injured leg.

"MURPHY, QUICK!"

"We- we need the woman alive. She healed a werewolf bite." Vega warned him, before reaching up and slipping the Resurrection Stone in his robe pocket. "I still have the Ghost Subduer." Fumbling with her pants' pocket, she tried to pull it out too.

She got a glance of Liv's anguished face before the tunnel closed. Potter's hand left her shoulder and someone, most likely Liv, pulled her down to lie on her back.

"Vega, stay with me."

"I can't see you, how can I stay with you?" Vega asked her, or tried to.

Dreaming was considered unnecessary for the Black family. No one really talked about dreams anyway- they spoke about their ambitions. The upside was that Vega never had nightmares.

From the little she knew about them though, **this **was a nightmare. Fourteen year old Roni was on the ground in front of her, pale and unmoving. Liv was lying nearby, her dark, empty eyes staring at the sky. Vega turned her head to look for Elfie and saw her curled up in the shadows of a destroyed wall.

"Elfie!" She tried to call, running across the stone. Her leg had trouble supporting her weight so she stumbled and fell, crawling the rest of the way. She rolled the younger girl over and saw Elfie's face was frozen in an expression of horror.

For a long eternity, Vega was unable to process what she was seeing or even think of a plan of action. Elfie was her first friend. The Ravenclaw saw her in the library, struggling with not being the smartest or the best when that was all that was expected of her as a Black.

And Elfie gave her a comic to read. A thin book with glossy pages debuting a muggle man that used his money to dress up as a bat and fight crime. He stood against people who _did _have power and with his smarts came out on top. Vega thought the whole idea was silly and read eight more that night.

"No," Vega crawled backward. She knew- _**knew**_\- Elfie was okay. Knew her friends lived through the Battle of Hogwarts. Elfie's hair was now bright blue and she was taller than Vega. Still brilliant, still _alive_.

Once she reasoned that out, she suddenly remembered why her leg hurt. She glanced down and saw the limb disappear in black mist along with the remains of the battle, taking her false teammates with it. She threw her arm over her eyes even as the logical part of her brain reminded her that this was a dream.

"'Always Pure.'" A man was saying. "What does that mean to you?"

Vega pulled her arm down and blinked. She was in Dumbledore's office, sitting in front of his desk, across from the man himself. He looked just like he had when he cast the Fidelius Charm on her to protect her Grandfather's house, brown eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.

The image of Potter, slumped on his desk, eyes a thousand miles away, flashed in her mind. Anger bordering on rage filled her and with startling clarity, she realized where a lot of her hatred stemmed from. And it wasn't _just _from Lysandra murdering Vega's grandfather.

"What do you care?" Vega's voice came out as venomous has she had ever heard it.

"Have I offended you, Miss Black?"

Her anger rose to drowning levels. "You were an adult. You took out Grindelwald. Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Order of Merlin, First class. Headmaster of Hogwarts. Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Why did you let Voldemort get so far? If you had just stepped up there wouldn't have been a prophecy and _**CHILDREN DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE**_."

She tried to jump to her feet but she couldn't with only one foot. Managing to catch herself on her hands on the desk, she tried to not let her embarrassment stop her rage. "We were _**CHILDREN**_. You were _supposed _to protect us. You were _all _supposed to protect us." She added. It had been an adult's war, a war that children should have had no part of.

_And instead we were turned into soldiers and spies to stay alive._

Dumbledore tilted his head, brown eyes seemingly unaffected by her rage. "Is that why you were angry at Lysandra? She didn't protect you? Why you became an Auror?"

Vega's vision blurred. "Being pure was the most important thing to her. The Blacks were royalty and she was the Dowager Queen. If we didn't advance the family- didn't advance her- we weren't necessary. She believed while I was still young that I didn't have what it took to do that, because Cygnus was a psychopath who would do _anything _to succeed..."

He nodded, brown eyes understanding-

Vega raised herself up as much as she could.

"Dumbledore had blue eyes."

"Did he? Ah, I look like him now, don't I? That explains the shouting." The man said, tilting his head. The brown eyes stayed but the rest of his features shifted. Instead of Dumbledore, he now looked like a man in his mid-40s, black hair on top with an under layer of white. His beard was fully white but well kept and far shorter than Dumbledore's. He was wearing a tabard for a moment, but it changed too quickly for her to catch the ensignia to a very smart black suit with silver and green flowers on his tie.

The office transformed too until it was a place Vega had never been to before but still castle like. She looked around as much as she dared while keeping an eye on the man's hands but everything beyond the desk was in shadow and indistinctive.

Vega forced herself to not react other than tilting her head. "And you are?"

The man grinned and looked far too much like a younger version of Alphard in that moment. "Well, my name is not really important-"

"Then I'm not going to do it."

He shifted his head in a mirror of her own. "Do what?"

"Whatever you came here to ask of me. Or brought me here to ask of me, at any rate. The reason you were pretending to be Dumbledore."

He chuckled but tapered off into a melancholy sound. "The mind is a strange thing. Instead of seeing me as I am, your mind went with someone more familiar who invoked a great deal of emotion in you.

"As for my name…" The man paused before continuing softly. "My name has grown outside of my control and now... It's no longer mine. It belongs to someone I don't know, whom I've never met."

Vega hummed, considering. The Black name was beyond her control so she understood that but she didn't accept it.

_How would I feel if it was my first name though?_

"I can't just call you 'man-I-met-in-my-dream' for several reasons."

The man laughed again, a full-belly sound that seemed to warm the whole castle. "I understand completely." He hummed in thought for a moment. "You can call me Ambrose."

"Okay, _Ambrose_. What do you want?"

"For starters, the answer to my question? You've told me your mother's position on it, but I wanted to know your thoughts on 'Always Pure.'"

"I don't have any." Vega disregarded the family motto completely after Alphard's death, mostly in response to the all consuming rage inside her. "My grandfather said that it meant for us to stay on the right path. Our family tends to go 'darkside.'"

"Interesting, but not how you interpret it."

Vega sighed, a little frustrated. "'Remember to be true to yourself.'" She stared off into the distance, thinking. "I want to say that I've been doing that, but... Since I was fourteen, I've been driven by rage to catch Lysandra. I'm not sure who I am without that."

"Ah, that feels close to your truth. You know now that your rage wasn't just because of Lysandra. Does that change why you hunt? But that is a question for another time. First we need to take care of your hand. Morgana left you a nasty gift. Time to wake up from this 'dream.'"

Vega sat up in bed, rolled over and vomited over the side. The grey-haired woman had thrown up before and this felt worse- instead of just her stomach and esophagus spasming, _everything_ was. A pair of hands pulled her hair back but she was more concerned with throwing up. After what felt like an eternity, she was able to stop and wipe her mouth.

Her hand came away black.

"What's new." Roni commented nonchalantly as she charmed the mess into the trash.

The room was mostly dark with soft light coming in from the other side of the curtains on the window. Vega recognized it as a private room at St. Mungo's, and she must have been out for a while because there were get-well cards, gifts and flowers all over the place.

Vega looked down at her hands, noting that one of them was bandaged. _Right, the dagger._

"What happened?" Vega's voice came out hoarse and she put her hands down in her lap to look at herself.

Roni's face popped into her view, before making her sip through a straw. The cool water felt good. "You lead a team to rescue James Potter, our boss's son-"

"I'm aware of who James Potter is."

"Good. We weren't quite sure what happened to you, so… What happened after Rookwood grabbed you?"

"I…" Now that she was safe, the double apparating play seemed beyond reckless. But this was _Roni_. Reckless might as well be her middle name, though she had… calmed down since their time in Hogwarts. "I apparated."

Roni blinked at her. "You apparated when he-"

"_While_ Rookwood was still apparating."

Roni's eyebrows rose to near her hairline. "I- er. Okay." She paused, clearly thinking. "Well, now we can say when we do dumb things that we've done _dumber_."

Vega snorted, surprising herself and shoved Roni playfully backwards.

That's when she noticed her leg. Or the lack of it.

"Right." Vega said, pushing down panic.

"I tried Acco'ing it, but it didn't come- after I had hands again, of course-"

The image that came to her mind of Roni as a werewolf, standing up on her hind legs and trying to cast a spell, wand clenched in her teeth, startled her into giggling which morphed into hysterical laughter, and ended with her in unstoppable tears.

Roni's arms went around her, holding her close. Vega's sobs were only slightly less violent than her throwing up earlier and nearly put her past the point of exhaustion. The brunette handed the other woman a washcloth for her face before helping her lay back down. The shorter woman slipped into bed next to Vega, laying her head on the taller woman's shoulder, throwing an arm around her chest and resting on the opposite shoulder. Vega felt Roni's arm move up and down with the force of the other woman's sigh. The tears had hollowed out the space behind her breastbone and left her feeling empty, but Roni's warmth sparked something within her.

"What is it about laughing," Roni started, "the makes everything seem better, even when we aren't out of the woods?"

Vega wondered if Roni was remembering her time in Madam Pomfrey's care after Fenrir Greyback attacked her. Vega had snuck at night in to check on the newly made werewolf, trying to balance seemingly not caring and caring too much. The grey-haired 14 year old had tried cracking terrible jokes about flea baths and Roni had slugged her before laughing hysterically.

"Maybe it doesn't always work, but…" It was hard for Vega to keep her train of thought, sleep had its claws on her and she didn't have the strength to resist. "You made me laugh and I remembered I wasn't alone."

The room was still dark when Vega woke up again, mind abuzz. A thought occurred to her sometime during the night.

_First things first, getting up._ She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her hospital bed.

Looking at the stump of her leg knocked the air out of her. Her world condensed into that singular truth that she didn't want to accept. _The truth is the truth, no matter how much one denies it._

Her wand was on the nightstand. She used it to call forth her Patronus and send it to call the rest of her team. It didn't go far- Liv stepped in a second later.

"Everything okay?"

"No." Vega sucked in a breath before looking at Liv. She looked worried and strained but not exhausted like Roni did before. "Changed shifts?"

Liv nodded. "Finally got Roni to go home."

Vega nodded back. "You and Elfie sleep at all?"

"Yes?"

"Brilliant. Get me some crutches. I need to check something at the Ministry."

Liv's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Yes. I have to get moving or I'll stagnant. And I don't want to give them time to cover it up."

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	18. Chapter 18: Pride Goeth Before the Fall

Chapter 18

**Pride Goeth Before the Fall**

"What prevents a Death Eater or Dark Wizard from being the Department head of the DoM?"

Elfie blinked at Vega while Liv kept herself busy by unwrapping the grey-haired woman's hand.. "Er- I…" The bluenette bit her lip and looked down. If she couldn't say, she'd look at Vega like she did when Vega asked about Mervyn.

"Who would know?"

"Ms. Longbottom, certainly." Elfie pointed out, uncertain.

"Anyone other than Ms. Longbottom?"

"Do- do you suspect her?" Elfie asked, tilting her head.

"The whole interaction she had with you and Liv was very different from her interaction with Arthur."

"Wh-what?" Liv said turning Vega's hand up and down.

Vega looked at the offending limb. Where the woman had stabbed her last night there was scaring tissue. "Oh, well done. That's healing nicely."

"I- I- I." Liv was stuck staring at her hand. "It- It- It was caused by dark magic. We were having a hard time getting it to- to- to stop bleeding."

Vega blinked at her, processing that. The man- Ambrose- said that the woman left her a nasty gift. An unpleasant thought occurred to her and she had to voice it.

"My vomit?"

"Wasn't food and bile, like it should have been. We sent it to the DoM to see what it was."

Vega waved it away. She had more pressing concerns. "Liv, you and I are going to check the DoM, Elfie, go bother Potter."

It was painfully slow going since Vega was not used to crutches. Liv helpfully told her that she already compiled a list of possible… 'attachments.'

"No one _has _to get a peg leg these days. We can try for something more… stylish."

Vega didn't have time to look over the possibilities and she didn't want to think about the physical therapy Liv also mentioned. Just getting from the Atrium to the Watchwizard's desk was exhausting.

Thankfully their favorite Watchwizard was on the other side of the desk, feet propped up, book in hand, eyes alert.

"I need to get into the DoM." Vega told Jeremy and he swung his legs down to the floor.

"Now?"

"Yes."

He looked at her, leaning on crutches and at Liv, who looked determined before nodding to him.

"Let me get someone to cover my post and I'll escort you."

"Brilliant. Thank you. We'll wait at the DoM entrance." _Because it may take me awhile to get there and my pride can only take so much._ She stepped back before making her way to the elevator doors and then tried to find a way to be both comfortable and regal while waiting. She didn't think she was succeeding but at least it was late enough that not many people saw her.

Liv was looking at her but refrained from asking Vega if she was pushing herself again. For that, the grey-haired woman was thankful.

She did have to take a break going down the hall after they stepped off the elevator. Walking with the crutches was unexpectedly tiring. Vega stood in the hallway and just concentrated on breathing for a moment.

"It's your first day. It'll get easier." Liv murmured, voice almost too soft to hear, her head turned away.

Vega bit her lip to keep herself from saying something rude or mean back. It wasn't Liv she was frustrated at and, logically speaking, she shouldn't be frustrated at herself either. But it rankled her she took this same walk under a week ago _after _a long fight with two Death Eaters and now she couldn't with the same ease.

_I will have to make a lot of adjustments._ Vega thought, bitterly.

She breathed out one more time before lifting her head and setting her sights on the black door to the DoM. The elevator arrived again just as she finished hobbling over to her target.

"Miss Black, Liv." Jeremy rushed down the hall to catch up to them. "Hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Not at all." Vega answered smoothly, glad she wasn't panting. She felt more than saw Liv beam at him.

Jeremy gave Vega a once over again and the grey-haired woman stuffed the snappish response gathering up in her.

Thankfully, instead of commenting, Jeremy moved past her to unlock the door with a spell and key before ushering her in. Vega hopped in, a little less graceful than she was intending but counted it a win since she didn't fall.

_How far my standards have dropped._

Liv followed her as she stepped over to the middle of the Entry Chamber. Jeremy tapped the door with his wand then stepped in before shutting the door firmly behind him. The room immediately dimmed, the only light coming from the trembling blue flames along the walls.

"Which room did you want to go to?" Jeremy whispered as he came closer.

"The Speaking Room." Vega's voice was also very soft. There was something unnerving about the room.

Jeremy quietly counted the doors before coming to the fourth one. "It should be this one." He opened it quietly and poked his head in before stepping back to open it wider for them.

Liv gave Vega's shoulder a squeeze. The shorter woman looked up but Liv was already walking away, wand held tightly. It took a moment for Vega's brain to figure out why.

"We're just here to check the room." She hissed at them. "Another team can make the arrest, _if _I'm right."

Vega could see Liv's shoulders relax as she tried to catch up to her.

"That's a relief." The taller woman said, trying not to stare at the tentacles swaying in the jars.

"Okay. Brains with tentacles." Vega murmured as they got to the end of the room.

Jeremy laughed quietly. "First time in the Department?"

"Does it show?" Vega raised her voice to a little below normal speaking level. She was allowed to be here, following up on an active investigation. They even had a Watchwizard with them. They shouldn't feel like they were breaking and entering.

"This isn't even the weirdest room, in my opinion." He said before tapping on the far wall with his wand.

The tiles peeled back to reveal a room with only a table and two chairs inside.

They entered and Liv tried turning on the spot. After a moment, she grimaced.

"Nothing."

"Hmm." Vega turned to the passage back to the Brain Room. "Can we close this and reopen it from our side?"

"Of course." Jeremy tapped the wall and the tiles closed them in. A light came on in the ceiling to keep them from being submerged in darkness.

Liv took a deep breath and turned.

Vanishing.

Jeremy cursed colorfully, then looked at her, ashamed. "Apologies-"

"No, I agree. This is bad."

Liv reappeared a moment later, frowning. "Well. I guess that answers how someone got in and out."

"But this was very hush-hush at the time. Only the Unspeakables and a single Watchwizard knew about it."

"Who was in charge of putting up the Jinx?" Liv asked him as Jeremy opened the wall for them.

"The Unspeakable higher ups." Jeremy gestured to the hole for Vega.

Vega limped out of the room.

The wall closed behind her.

The grey-haired woman zeroed in on Ms. Longbottom and her wand, ignoring Liv and Jeremy's cries and banging on the wall. "You _**were **_the most likely candidate. But why confront me? We met before, when I wanted to put my team together. You're a sharp woman. The smart move would be to run. Unless you have a scapegoat, right?"

Someone sighed further in the room before a shadow stepped into the light and took shape. Mervyn Cecil was short, stocky and bald, with sharp eyes. The Department Head strode closer, back straight, head held high and proud, walking stick held tightly in his hand. His robes were fitted to him, giving him an air of elegance. He stopped behind Ms. Longbottom and put his walking stick down in front of him, standing with his legs apart. He looked less like the old man Liv had described and more like a well-to-do gangster from the 1920s. She half-expected him to pull out a cigar or pipe and start smoking.

"I hear you like to be called Merv. You can call me Auror Black."

"Ha." The man huffed, pulling out his own wand from his robe pocket. "Auror Black, welcome to the Brain Room, part of my domain as the Head of the Department of Mysteries. If you had made an appointment, we could have rolled out the red carpet for you."

"You were really late to the last appointment I made for this place, so I thought I'd drop by unannounced."

"Ah, I do have to apologize for my tardiness earlier. Ms. Longbottom was difficult to put under the Imperio Curse.

"How did you figure out it was me?"

"Someone didn't want those items destroyed. Did you have the Speaking Room put in just to steal the prototypes or was there more to it?"

Merv shook his head. "People- Good, brilliant people- died to create those. And the Ministry just-"

"Wanted to destroy their lives' work. Instead of taking _pride _in their sacrifice." Vega finished.

Her wand was in the pocket of her blazer, but the crutches were in the way. She could try dropping one and making it look like an accident, but she'd sacrifice most, if not all, of her mobility to do that.

_Coming here was a mistake._ It almost pained her to admit that to herself. Luckily, Liv and Jeremy had gone silent. Hopefully Liv had apparated them out and they were on their way back. She just needed to stall for time.

"_Yes_. Then Rookwood approached me. His boss-" Merv paused. "You spoke with her. She must have told you…" He trailed off and she could see suspicion blooming in his eyes.

"We talked. She didn't get a chance to say much before the Aurors showed up. I wish we had a chance to speak longer. She seemed to be…" Vega searched for a word that would entice Merv. "Brilliant."

"Brilliant isn't the half of it!" Merv seemed to almost tremble with excitement. "Grindelwald and Dumbledore were smart, great men, but terribly short sighted. Even Merlin himself was a fool compared to her."

"I'd like to know more." Vega said earnestly.

Merv scowled. "You had your chance. Don't think you can fool me, young lady. I know you're just stalling for time. I locked the Entry Chamber. Ms. Longbottom here is going to kill you, then I'll go into the Speaking Room and apparate home. I'll come into work tomorrow terribly confused. 'How could Ms. Longbottom betray us?'" He said that last part like a confused, old man right before going back to his regular, haughty tone. "You're right, a scapegoat is the best move." He gestured with his wand at Ms. Longbottom.

Vega threw one of her crutches at her. Her throw was good but it unbalanced the grey-haired woman and she toppled over with a cry. Pain wracked her, threatening to overwhelm. She had to roll over to her front and crawl toward the opposite side of the cases from Ms. Longbottom and Merv.

She took a moment to sit up and reach for her wand. Merv appeared at the end of the aisle ahead of her and Vega knew she would not have her wand up in time.

So she bluffed.

"_Expelliarmus_." She yelled as clearly as possible, her non-dominant hand doing the correct wand movement perfectly, index finger pointing at him like a wand.

Merv faltered before being hit with a jet of red light from her finger. His wand flipped through the air until it landed in her empty hand.

Hearing something behind her, Vega shifted to have both Ms. Longbottom and Merv in her sights before hitting both of them with a Full-Body Jinx, using Merv's wand against him and her own on Ms. Longbottom.

_What- how did I- why couldn't I before-?_ Vega's mind raced with so many questions, she had trouble keeping track of them all.

_SON OF A CRUP! NO ONE SAW ME AND __**I. WAS. AMAZING!**_

Something exploded on the other end of the chamber.

* * *

Please review!


	19. Chapter 19: Black's Secret

Chapter 19

**Black's Secret**

"VEG-" Liv's shout was interrupted by a _bellow _from some creature.

"Don't bring that to me!" Vega answered, feeling light-headed suddenly.

_Right. Wandless magic. More effort._

Liv appeared at the far end of the aisle before calling back. "She's here!"

"Yes!" Vega waved at her from where she sat on the floor.

Liv raced over, almost tripping on Merv. She blinked at the older man as Vega's brain caught up to her.

"Merv was the inside man. He's cursed Ms. Longbottom." Vega gestured to her opposite side.

The taller woman nodded, casting Incarcerous on him as more people streamed into the aisle behind her. Vega noted Potter among them and saw him lean as far away as possible from the tubes with brains.

"Black! What part of 'On Medical Leave' do you not understand?" Potter snapped.

"Did you directly tell that to me while I was conscious and not 'high as a kite,' as Roni puts it?"

Potter narrowed his eyes at her but his mouth kept betraying him by ticking up at the side. "Murphy, Lewis, get Black out of here while we clean up this mess."

Elfie stepped out from behind Potter and hurried to help pick up Vega's crutches while Liv expertly hauled Vega up. Carefully they managed to get her moving under her own power.

At the door, Vega paused. Next to it was a large animal with antlers?

"Is that a… Moose?" Vega asked, still feeling a bit light headed.

"Jeremy is an animagus." Liv answered cheerfully. "A moose on the loose gets a lot of attention very quickly."

"Ha! I bet. I almost had a heart attack when he… moo'd?"

Jeremy snorted at her before shifting back into a man.

"Brilliant." Elfie breathed.

"Why aren't you an Auror?" Vega would normally be more diplomatic but she wasn't in her best form.

Jeremy blushed before scratching his face. "I'm less of a hunter and more of a defender, if that makes sense?"

Vega smiled. After her bit of soul searching, she knew she hunted to protect. "Yes. That makes perfect sense. Would you walk with us?"

Jeremy nodded and walked out first instead of gesturing for Vega.

"How'd you get in? Merv said he locked the Entry Chamber." Vega hopped through the door and blinked. The chamber was no longer empty- instead there were objects of all shapes and sizes, some resting on the floor and some floating in the air. She noted her crystalized Fiendfyre dragon among the countless items as well as some other dark artifacts being studied by the DoM.

"The door required a password and the answer to a riddle."

"That seems too simple."

All three of them shook their heads.

"We had to solve the riddle first-

What has many keys,

but can't open a single door?"

"A piano." Elfie chimed helpfully.

"We didn't know what the password was, only that Merv picked it and it had to be something we could spell out on a piano."

"And you guys figured it out? So quickly?" Vega asked as they left the Department of Mysteries.

"You can only play so many words on the piano and Merv has a twisted sense of humour. Since he was a suspect, I tried '_FACADE'_ from the french word '_façade,' _meaning '_frontage' _or '_face'_."

Vega huffed a laugh before turning toward the stairs next to the black DoM door.

"Where are you going?" Liv asked like a mother to a wayward child.

"I need to talk to Lysandra. Has she been moved yet?" Vega opened the door to the stairs and started to shuffle through it.

"Do you think that's wise?" Jeremy asked, catching up to hold open the door.

"Thank you. No, but it's necessary."

"Potter said-"

"Potter told you to get me 'out of here.' We can assume he meant the DoM. I'm out." Vega made it to the landing between the floors.

"Or we can assume he meant out of the MoM." Jeremy pointed out, catching up with her easily before blocking her way.

Vega paused. She took a deep breath and looked Jeremy in the eye.

"I need to know what she did to me."

Jeremy leaned back from the force of Vega's presence.

Liv's hand settled on Vega's shoulder, trying to provide comfort.

"Wh-what did she do to you?" Elfie asked quietly.

The grey-haired woman swallowed. "I was able to cast wandlessly just now, but I couldn't before, not even against the Dementor."

_I also dream now?_ Vega couldn't say that aloud though. The dream was just too strange and it could have just been a medication-side effect.

"I will just ask her that and then leave. Promise."

Liv sighed. "Alright. One question and then we're going home."

Vega let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"I have to go back to the investigation." Jeremy murmured. "Sorry I can't stay."

"Don't worry about it. Thank you for all your help." Vega told him. Liv echoed her while Elfie waved.

Jeremy turned red before waving his own goodbye and went back up. The three women made their way down the rest of the stairs and across the hallway to the courtesy cells.

Dunham smiled as they entered, then scowled when he noticed Vega's state. "Black, shouldn't you be at St. Mungo's?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just need to do one last thing before I put it all to bed. You understand."

Dunham scowled harder, his upper lip curling up enough to reveal his few teeth. "Fine, but do it quick. I'm expecting more people tonight."

Vega decided not to waste time and tell him she was the reason why more prisoners were coming in. She signed the visitor log and then limped down to the far cell.

The woman was still dressed in the low cut black dress. She looked up when Vega stopped in front of her cell.

"What did you do to me? Why can I wandlessly cast now?"

"Still demanding things from your betters?" The woman rose and stepped closer. All other questions died on Vega's tongue- the woman in front of her had brown eyes.

"Lysandra." Vega snarled.

Lysandra lurched to the front of her cell, gripping the bars. "My Wounded Eagle. Let me see your hand."

Vega raised her head to look down at the caged woman. Lysandra still seemed off.

"No. Is Morgana gone?"

Lysandra looked shocked. "Who told you her name? Did you see him? _Do you dream?_"

Vega leaned back from her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Even as she answered, the grey-haired woman knew she spoke too slowly.

"You have." Lysandra's eyes widened before she started laughing. Lysandra's true laugh was always cruel and sharp like glass. It didn't help that once she started laughing, it took her awhile to stop. The best thing normally would be to just wait her out.

Vega glanced down the hall and saw Elfie covering her ears with her hands, a look of fear on her face. Next to her, Liv's face was scrunched up in pain. The team leader was used to the cold laughter but she could understand that the laugh sounded like something out of a horror movie.

The grey-haired woman shook her head. "Okay, I can see you're busy. I'll be back later." Vega turned and started back out.

"Wah-wait hahaha!" Lysandra tried to call her back, but was laughing too hard.

Her team parted to let Vega through and she stopped in front of Dunham to pick up the visitor log. The only person who had come before her to see the prisoner had scribbled their name instead of printing it.

"Who came before us?"

"It was during morning shift. I'll ask."

"Hmmm." It didn't sit well with her. There was just too much she didn't know. Was Morgana gone? How long can two souls share one body? Did Morgana find a new, willing host? "I need a copy of this log for an investigation."

"You got it."

Next to her, Elfie flipped open her phone and snapped a picture of the log as well. "Just in case." She muttered.

Vega nodded at her before biting her lip. Was there any other leads for this? _No, just Lysandra, the visitor, and Bob._

She sighed. At the moment, there was nothing else she could do. _Besides, I made a promise._

"Let's go home."

* * *

Next chapter is the epilogue!


	20. Epilogue: Passing the Torch

Epilogue

**Passing the Torch**

The staff at St. Mungos were livid that Vega 'checked herself out,' and more than a little disappointed Liv let her.

Until Vega told them that there could have been a body count if she stayed. She reminded them of Liv's amazing track record and how she and several others could have died without the other woman before ending the conversation with a very hefty bag from the family vault. The staff found themselves no longer annoyed and let Liv take over Vega's care so she could go home.

To a very upset Roni.

"You couldn't have woken me?" The shorter woman spat at them the moment they returned home.

"Roni-" Liv started to admonish but Vega lifted her hand.

"I've got this. Roni, lets go to the library for a private discussion." Vega jerked her head towards the room down the hall.

Roni gave her a skeptical look. Usually one-on-one talks were for pointing out mistakes. The werewolf squared her shoulders and marched to the appointed room.

Vega saw Elfie trying to blend into the wallpaper. The past few hours of people arguing had been tough on all of them. "How about you two pick a movie? I don't believe Potter is going to call us in early tomorrow."

Liv exhaled loudly before smiling. "That sounds good. No drinking for you though- it could interfere with your pain potion."

Vega made a face but hurried to meet with Roni.

The brunette sat like a petulant child, arms crossed, head tilted up in defiance, shoes on the table. She did not offer to help Vega with her chair, or hover like the staff of the hospital or Liv.

Vega managed all the same, setting into her chair and then slouching from exhaustion.

"I honestly didn't think there'd be a fight or I wouldn't have left my best fighter behind." She said quietly. "With my injury, you are the de-facto leader of ADET. You needed your rest to start working through whatever I discovered before the transfer was official. And I know how much you hate paperwork."

Roni stared at her like she grew another head, slowly unfolding her arms and dropping her feet off the table.

"Fuck, you're serious. But what about Liv?"

"What about her?"

"She'd be the better leader-" Roni trailed off as Vega shook her head.

"Liv can take charge in high stress moments, that is true. Out of you, Liv, and Elfie, you are the only one who will take initiative, who knows how an investigation should go, can interview people- I can go on, but you look a little red."

"Sh-shut up." Roni turned her face away from Vega but even the back of her ears and neck were red. "How long?"

"Probably until I'm fit for active duty again. Liv says that could take months.

"Therefore, I need to tell you everything that happened so you can follow up."

Roni actually took notes, but her pen didn't move when Vega mentioned Ambrose.

"You _dreamed_?" Roni remembered how bad it got after the Battle of Hogwarts, how people couldn't sleep for fear of **dreaming**. A lot of the students and some of the faculty got addicted to sleeping potions just so they could function.

Vega never had a need for them and it caused her to stand out.

"Could be a side effect."

"Lets hope. Promise me you'll tell us if it continues."

"...Is that an order?"

"Yes. Brat."

Vega huffed out a laugh, leaning back in her chair. "Liv and Elfie are picking out a movie."

"You mean Elfie is picking out a movie. It's her turn."

"So it is."

Roni didn't help Vega from her chair but she did hold open the door. "Think I could get her to put on the new Die Hard movie?"

"Haha, you _are _the boss now."

Elfie put on a Nicolas Cage movie, a sequel to a movie Vega wasn't sure she should admit to liking or not. Roni bemoaned the choice but didn't do anything to stop the blue-nette, instead grabbing the popcorn from her so the taller woman could set everything up.

Liv sat on the couch and had Vega lay across it with her head in the ex-Healer's lap. Elfie and Roni sat on the floor within reach, going back and forth about the various inaccuracies of the movie with Liv laughing at their pretend outrage.

_Well, I don't have my feet under me, but I have my wand and I have my team._

_I- WE can do this._

"Oh, welcome back. Your hand looks better."

Vega jerked in the seat she 'awoke' to find herself in. She looked up and saw Ambrose seated across from her again but instead of being in his 'office,' they were in-

They were in a graveyard.

Ambrose sat on the stairs to a mausoleum, while Vega, thankfully, was on an actual bench.

Above the mausoleum were the words 'Toujours Pur.' The 'Pur' was black and crumbling and 'Toujours' wasn't fairing much better.

It looked exactly the way it did the first and only time she visited her grandfather after he was interred. She wasn't at his funeral- she didn't know about his passing until months later.

"Now. Let's talk."

* * *

The End (for now)!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the works/characters created by JK Rowling. I do own everything else in this story.

Thank you Readers! I appreciate you stepping into my version of Post-Hogwarts Harry Potter. At the moment I'm struggling with motivation to write up the next story in this series so there will be a long hiatus before anything new comes. Reviews may help with my motivation. Just saying.

Until next time!

Please review!


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